After seeing Collateral at the cinema and loving it, I thought I would look up Michael Mann and see what else he had done. I had never heard of him before so was surprised to see that he was the guy behind Miami Vice... don't get me wrong... I'm not a fan, but I have heard of it.
Anyways, I red the description for The Keep and it sounded interesting and it had Ian McKellen starring so I thought, I'll give this one a whirl, as a horror fan anyway, I love the whole supernatural/horror deal.
I couldn't find it to buy anywhere, so like everyone else in the same situation I turned to eBay where I found a number of people selling this film. That being an indication that the film wasn't too good and one that I also ignored, I bid and won a copy and watched it the other day.
I've rarely seen such a fresh take on an idea so held back by poor handling. Barring Ian McKellen and Jurgen Prochnow, the cast left a lot to be desired and having said that, even Ian McKellen wasn't on top form... I mean, what the hell was that accent about. The effects were OK, you can't fault them too much given that its 1983 we're talking about. The sound and image quality weren't brilliant though, the volume of the film didn't even remain consistent, I was constantly putting the volume up to hear whispering characters and then being blown away when they began shouting. The location where this film was shot did allow for the occasional impressive shot and I'll admit, some of the powerful (80s-style) music, although sometimes used inappropriately and for too long, was good and did contribute to the film's atmosphere a lot.
All in all however, I thought this film could have been so much better. So... Michael Mann... I loved Collateral... but dude, what were you thinking when you made this... I think your mind may of been elsewhere.
Anyways, I red the description for The Keep and it sounded interesting and it had Ian McKellen starring so I thought, I'll give this one a whirl, as a horror fan anyway, I love the whole supernatural/horror deal.
I couldn't find it to buy anywhere, so like everyone else in the same situation I turned to eBay where I found a number of people selling this film. That being an indication that the film wasn't too good and one that I also ignored, I bid and won a copy and watched it the other day.
I've rarely seen such a fresh take on an idea so held back by poor handling. Barring Ian McKellen and Jurgen Prochnow, the cast left a lot to be desired and having said that, even Ian McKellen wasn't on top form... I mean, what the hell was that accent about. The effects were OK, you can't fault them too much given that its 1983 we're talking about. The sound and image quality weren't brilliant though, the volume of the film didn't even remain consistent, I was constantly putting the volume up to hear whispering characters and then being blown away when they began shouting. The location where this film was shot did allow for the occasional impressive shot and I'll admit, some of the powerful (80s-style) music, although sometimes used inappropriately and for too long, was good and did contribute to the film's atmosphere a lot.
All in all however, I thought this film could have been so much better. So... Michael Mann... I loved Collateral... but dude, what were you thinking when you made this... I think your mind may of been elsewhere.