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(2001 U.S.) |
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| Directed by Dominik Moll Starring: Laurent Lucas, Sergi Lopez, Mathilde Seigner, Sophie Guillemin (In French with English subtitles) |
Producer: Michel Saint-Jean Screenplay: Gilles Marchand, Dominik Moll Distributor: Miramax Zoë | ||
Rating:  (out of )What is it about the dark side of human nature that fascinates so many people? The master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock, understood this early in his directorial career and it enabled many of his films to reach classic status. People seem genuinely intrigued by the possibility of their own vulnerabilities being taken advantage of by the mentally unstable or evil among us. It's on this premise that With a Friend Like Harry spins its web on the audience, with frightening results. Director Dominik Moll has taken a more intelligent, and in the long run, a more effective, approach to crafting a thriller. Instead of simply labeling his characters "good" or "bad" and pandering to the always effective "showdown" at the film's climax, Moll begins to lull his audience into a false sense of security before slowly revealing the sinister motives behind the film's central character. It's this technique that ultimately proves the key to the film's indelible images that are hard to shake even days after its initial viewing. Effective thriller always start with an intelligent script, and this film is no exception. We visit the lives of Michel (Laurent Lucas) and Claire (Mathilde Seigner), who are in the middle of their family vacation. Their car has no air conditioning, they are tired, and their three young girls are hot and miserably annoying. They pull into a gas station for a break, where Michel meets a strange but amicable man, Harry (Sergi Lopez), who claims to be a classmate from 20 years ago. Harry strangely heaps praise on Michel, who is having a difficult time remembering him. Before you know it, Harry and his girlfriend, Plum (Sophie Guillemin), have imposed on Michel and Claire's summer home in the countryside. Harry is too good to be true - he continues his adoration of Michel, specifically his writing from years ago, and even buys a car to replace their clunker. But slowly he begins to encourage Michel to begin writing again, regardless of the circumstances and problems around him, silently offering his services to rid Michel of these distractions one by one. Harry is an emotionally disturbed and chillingly selfish character. He is determined to show Michel that his writing is the only thing in his life that needs fostering - everything else, nagging parents, impatient wife, and annoying children are merely mosquitoes that need to be eliminated. Michel's writing has touched something deep in Harry's troubled soul, and he is personally going to fulfill his own desire to read more of his writing, regardless of the price. Every character in the film - from Harry and Michel to Claire, the parents, and even the children - are vitally important to the effectiveness of the film's impact. So the actors that are chosen to represent these characters are critical, and after witnessing the results, Moll has chosen wisely. Lopez, who was last seen in An Affair of Love, is truly disturbing - he slowly reveals his twisted mind through several layers of character breakdown. He seems like the perfect friend, until you notice his unquenchable thirst for his own lusts, something that culminates in his harrowing precision at the film's end. Seigner, who is a natural beauty, is also very effective as the wife who must deal with and decipher the intentions of this new friend. Lucas comes across as bland, but that's exactly what his role calls for - a normal guy who has hidden talent, only to be nurtured by the wrong kind of influence. Moll's version of violence is a quiet, eerily disconcerting off-screen variety that lets your imagination run wild. Instead of showing each murder in gruesome detail, we see only the results, an effect that has much more power than the average slasher flick today. It's more frightening to see the nonchalance with which Harry carries out his evil deeds, especially in the film's final scenes. This is a sick man, but you begin to wonder if he's ever been taught the difference between right and wrong. Or is it that Harry is your best friend if he needs something from you, and your worst enemy if you get in his way? Either way, he is a volatile figure lying just beneath his cool exterior. With a Friend Like Harry plays on your vulnerabilities and feelings of helplessness in a way that not many other films have done. With strong acting, a clever script, and shrewd directing, it results in one of the more disturbing films to come around in quite some time. While not a masterpiece on the same level as say, Strangers on a Train, it plays on your fears more than most so-called thrillers today. And although it seems Harry has lost, as you see the final scene of the picture, you realize that he's accomplished exactly what he had set out to do - make Michel a writer. For me, that's more than just a little disconcerting. © 2001 Jonathan Cornwell | |||
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| Masterpiece - Movie perfection |
 | Excellent - One of the best films of the year |
| Good - Recommended |
| Fair - Worth a look |
| Average - Viewable, but not recommended |
| Below average - View at own risk |
| Poor - Avoid at all costs |
| Very poor - An embarassment to the film industry |
| Awful - One of the worst films ever made |
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