Above & Beyond (2001)

Excellent but underrated film

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

Spoiler don't read after this point if you don't want to know. The main theme in the movie is about spirituality and it gives you a look in to what the writer thinks happens when we pass away. In this movie someone is about to die but as his soul leaves his body and visits every loved person to say it's good byes, he figures out that if he leaves at this moment the two persons he cares the most for, will hate each other and there for resent each other and end their friendship forever; instead of supporting each other after he is gone. So he decides to go back to his body and fight for his life. As he gets better and starts his difficult new life; he hates it ,as he forgot the reason why he went back. But thanks to the help of a friend that believes in spirituality, he is able to remember why he came back. Once he feels like the two people that he came back for, care and support each other... Then he is ready to die.

This movie was actually a lot better than I thought it would be. The cast is excellent in this film. This film is very emotional. While I didn't necessarily like the way things may have turned out in the film in terms of the ending, it definitely left food for thought. There was an excellent use of foreshadowing in the writing, and all in all it really exposed a decent part of the human condition. My favorite actor, Costas Mandylor did an amazing job of playing a paralyzed cop and I believe this film showcased his versatile acting skills. I also liked his character as a whole because ultimately the character had a great sense of integrity and throughout the film the character also had genuine humanity. The rest of the actors as a whole also did an excellent job so I give props to the actors, the director, and the casting director on that one. Once again this film is very emotional, and I would even say it sent me on an emotional roller coaster. There were times of happiness in the film, as well as wonderment, drama, sadness, anger, and laughter. A really decent film for a TV movie, and one I would enjoy watching again.

***SPOILERS*** I at first thought that the movie "Above & Beyond" was a re-make of the Robert Taylor 1952 film about the bombing of Hiroshima but soon realized that it was about a whole different subject! The film has to do with this faith healer furniture store owner Joe Farelli, Robert Costanzo, who discovered , probably from the 1986 "New Twilght Zone" episode he was in, that faith is stronger then the scalpel or even a stay at the local hospital emergency ward.We get to see Joe in action as he cures policeman and part-time hokey player Peter Clerkin, Adam Baldwin,from a serious injury he got on the hockey court. This is very impressive indeed in Peter recovering a full two week before his doctors said he would. It's later when Peter and his partner Michael Amorosa, Costas Mandylor, try to stop a distraught man from murdering his cheating wife and her lover, whom he caught in the act, that he accidentally shoots Michael when the bullet that it was intended for, the outraged husband, passed through his body killing him and hitting Michael in the spine! Things start to get very complicated with Michael's wife Jill, Alexandera Paul, rushing to he hospital and not only finding out that he husband Michael will be crippled for life but that his partner Peter, who just happened to be her former lover, put him in that condition!We get to see Joe show up at the hospital and do his thing on the barley conscious and heavily medicated Michael that at first seemed to help him recover. But as time went by Michael's recovery and Joe, who soon disappeared from the movie altogether, went by the boards with him now becoming an angry and bitter young man in him not being able to be a man or husband to his loving and caring wife Jill.From that point on the movie goes nowhere fast in it just about running out of gas or story and just coast or limp along to it's final and very unsatisfying, to everyone watching, conclusion. Peter is made to be the heel in the film by him getting it on with his best friends and police partner's wife Jill throughout the remainder of the film. That while Michael was laid up in bed not being even able to go to the bathroom without someone assisting him. ***SPOILERS*** It's just when your about to switch the movie off that we get to see Michael recover from his injury and get on his feet again but were not quite sure if it's real or a drug or medicated induced hallucination on Michael's part. Michael for his part accepted his fate in being a paraplegic and not being able to be a husband to his wife Jill anymore. He even goes so far as encouraging Jill to drop him and marry Peter who's been having an affair with Jill behind Michael's back anyway. The movies final ending is a bit too much to take in that it doesn't really tell you what happened between Michael Jill & Peter in it by it seeming to have two different alternative endings. But by then your so bored by it all that you couldn't really care which way it ended anyway!

Incase you don't know what is about, then it is about a married couple and their best friend. It is not a love triangle as such, but a drama of emotions, played out to the setting of injuries, police officers and ice hockey.The film is good in part and poor at times. The anger I feel when people behave irrationally, but you have to convince yourself that people may react in that way. Still I will not point out exactly which bits I am referring to, you can enjoy that for yourself.At the half hour point I was beginning to get quite annoyed with this film, but it did improve near to the end. I did find that some emotional content that was enjoyable to watch play out. Many people will find this movie dull and uninteresting. This is by no means brilliant or ground breaking, but it does have value if you ask me. 5/10... ooh I'm harsh.