Final (2001)

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

I like Black Panther, but I didn't like this movie.

Watch something else. There are very few redeeming qualities to this film.

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

I am truly moved by this film, Final. THis is a superbly written piece of work, one that takes you gently into a place that is both beautiful and at once terrifying. The casting was dead on, the locations were perfect. The cinematography only added to the mystery and haunting beauty of this film. I think it was of deep personal meaning in its detailed introspective look into one mans life, that took me so far away from my own reality, I am in debt to its awareness of every little thing i remember and cherish in my own life, the final impact of love and denial. This is a movie that is so filled with power it cannot be seen without being touched. I strongly recommend this film to everyone, it is a film that you will never forget.

Although Denis Leary, the male lead, and Jim Gaffigan, who plays a prominent supporting role, are best known as professional comedians, make no mistake. This is a fine, science fiction drama.The movie is driven by the dialog and the slowly unfolding plot of a great screenplay. There are essentially no special effects other than the flashbacks, and they are really more a product of good editing. The story is compelling and captivating, pulling you along as the larger plot points are revealed.I'm sure this movie made no real box office, but it is absolutely worth the rental. Leary is shockingly good in this movie and proves that he has the acting chops of an Oscar winner. Davis' performance is solid, but very demure. One could argue that she had a supporting role instead of the female lead. Although Gaffigan has a lot of screen-time, he does not have much dialog. Regardless, Gaffigan delivers a stalwart and believable performance.

I rather liked it. Its spooky quality is maintained by you never knowing exactly what's going on. Is the patient really deluded or are his 'delusions' reality? I think they did a very good job of keeping the audience guessing and the performances were very believable. If I understand correctly the reason they're trying to get him to think it's 1999 is that he has to sign a consent form for his immune system to be used. They're trying to trick him into signing. It's suggested that there must be some sort of ethical or legal reason that they need a voluntary signature even if they have to deceive him. The ending is puzzling if you're looking for a coherent logic behind events. The ending suggests that nothing in the film is real...they're playing with our minds. This quality of never being sure of reality is one of the things I liked about the film. The 2 main actors are creating a reality between themselves--but the rest of the world is a bit tenuous. Of course there's a lot of people who won't like that at all.

Channel surfing one night, I caught this film somewhere after it started and was drawn in by the premise, which if you have read the included summary, you know involves a man, locked inside an institution, claiming he is from the past. The interplay between the psychologist, wonderfully played by Hope Davis, and the "patient" played by Denis Leary, was very fascinating. Having stepped into the movie after it started, I was swept away by my imagination as to what was really going on. I continued to watch the film for another 20 minutes, still intrigued by the story. How did this man find himself in the institution? I searched my program guide, learned the film was going to be on a later date, and set my dish/recorder. When I watched the film from the beginning, (Warning, a little of the film plot) I realized how he came into the institution, was a mystery, at least to him. I was very impressed with Denis Leary's acting. Having seen him in the Ref which was a comedy, I enjoyed him, later, having watched him in Two If by Sea (terrible film) and The Job (an awful main character made this show difficult to enjoy), I didn't really expect him to show the depth of acting he was able to portray in this film. If you enjoy him on Rescue Me,(some of the finest work on television today, which makes the summer viewing pleasurable) and are now going back to view some of his earlier work, you will not be disappointed in the time you spend engrossed with this film.