The January Man (1989)

Memorable, crazy movie

How sad is this?

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

With an impressive cast, I expected much more. I was a bit of a fan of Kevin Cline and I was amazed at how bad his acting was in this. I sometimes wonder if this movie was supposed to be a tongue-in-cheek parody because none of the characters are believable. Cline was so unbelievable in his character that the movie becomes un- watchable at times. The character he was portraying was also too much of a stretch. The character was maybe too "complex" in that he was trying to be too many things at once and none of it meshed.I can't tell if this was supposed to be a "serious" role for Cline. His "New York" accent is so bad.

First things first, this film has a few problems with trying to work out what it wants to be. Some of the scenes are a bit ridiculous and unrealistic, and sometimes it gets a bit slow. But that could be said about some hugely successful blockbuster films as well.Underneath this is a good little crime thriller with some likable characters who are trying to work out the clues to catch a killer with a taste for strangling women in their city apartments.Kevin Kline is enjoyable, Susan Sarandon and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio are classy, Harvey Keitel doesn't really do much and Alan Rickman kind of floats around to help loosen up the mood of the film. Some of the dialog sounds like it was lifted from an adapted play or is better for an older, more mature generation.But, the stand out star of this film is Danny Aiello, who plays Captain Vincent Alcoa. He has a filthy mouth, loves yelling and putting people down all the time and has to deal with a Kline as a difficult police detective who returns to the job.The film alone is worth seeing for his performance.

Two years ago, a scandal forced Nick Starkey (Kevin Kline) off the NYPD, but now the mayor wants him back to find a serial killer.This is a terrible movie with a ridiculous script. It's a serious drama until the last ten minutes when it becomes low comedy complete with pratfalls and jokes. Kline phones in his performance; he's never convincing as the returning cop who's expected to solve a case that the entire police force couldn't crack in a year. Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio plays his supposed love interest but she's annoying and there's absolutely no chemistry between them. (On the plus side, she did marry the director.) Susan Sarandon bombs as a seductress and Alan Rickman looks like Maynard G. Krebs while Rod Steiger and Danny Aiello ham it up so much it's embarrassing. Harvey Keitel just wanders around looking lost the whole time. What a colossal waste of talent.There is no suspense or romantic tension and certainly no hint of real police work, just a lot of good actors looking foolish in a bad movie. What a disappointment.

So how could it have turned out so awful? How can you have Kline and Keitel, Steiger and Sarandon, Aiello, Rickman, Mastrantonio, and yet produce such a stinker? Start with an awful script. 1,000 monkeys couldn't have done worse.From there, proceed to unbelievably bad direction.I kept waiting for it to get funny, since it was never going to get serious. It was never going to make sense. But the comedic talents of many of the cast were wasted as well.I thought the actors might revolt, mid filming. I mean, after all, why have your name associated with this kind of a stinker? I kept thinking of "The Producers." The producers of this lemon must have sold 1,000% of the movie, right? They needed to have it go straight down the toilet so they could pocket the investors' money without having to account for it. There would be no "Springtime with Hitler" to save the day.But Norman Jewison produced this. He's made a dozen great movies! This doesn't belong in the vault at MGM. It belongs in a crypt at Forest Lawn. With a stake through its heart.