cookieman108 2006-01-18
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
Chattahoochee (1989) is a film inspired by true events of a man, after returning home from the Korean war, went crazy go nuts, got hisself locked up in a state loony bin, documented and reported all the abuses he saw and experienced, which eventually led to reforms of the system for public provided care of the mentally ill. Directed by Mick Jackson (L.A. Story, The Bodyguard), the film stars Gary Oldman (Sid and Nancy, Romeo Is Bleeding) as the Emmett Foley, a certified hero in the Korean conflict and a certified nut at home. Also appearing is Dennis Hopper (True Romance, Space Truckers), Frances McDormand (Fargo, Johnny Skidmarks), Pamela Reed (Cadillac Man, Kindergarten Cop), Ned `Squeal Like a Pig' Beatty (Rudy, Radioland Murders), and M. Emmet Walsh (Slap Shot, The Jerk, Blade Runner).
Emmett Foley ain't right in the head...or so it seemed that one, fine Sunday afternoon when he began randomly shooting up his neighborhood with a revolver. Strange thing is, he didn't seem to be trying to hurt anyone...but himself, and even that didn't work out too well, as the local police are terrible marksmen. Eventually Emmett turns his gun on himself, but the wound isn't fatal. While in custody, Emmet is deemed crazy, and transferred to Chattahoochee, a state mental asylum. His frustrated wife Mae (McDormand) can't even begin to understand what's going on, and neither can his family, including his sister Earlene (Reed). Upon arriving, Emmett finds the conditions at the state run facility deplorable, including overcrowded, filthy, roach infested barracks, no medical treatment readily available to the inmates, cruel and abusive guards, a neglectful and uncaring staff, harsh punishments, and food not fit for human consumption (I can honestly say I've never see a green pork chop until I saw this film). Now here's the kicker...seems Emmett's not crazy, at least no more than the rest of us, as his actions had a specific purpose, and therein lies the dilemma...the only way to get released is to be judged cured by the powers that be, but how can you be cured when you ain't sick? Anyway, Emmett, witnessing all sorts of abuses, begins documenting and writing letters to anyone who'll listen, becoming sort of an advocate for those who can't speak for themselves, eventually incurring the wrath of the institution's board in the form of electroshock therapy and daily doses of heavy sedatives, all while his sister is working desperately on the outside to get the attention of gooberment officials who might be able to save Emmett from the belly of the beast before it's too late...
I thought this film a decent one, but what I really enjoyed where the performances, especially from Oldman and Hopper, the latter playing Walker Benson, a convict who faked his way into the mental institution to get out of jail, hoping for easy time, I suppose, essentially jumping from the frying pan and into the fire...you see, in jail, you have a term you have to serve, and then you can get released, but in the loony bin, they can hold you for a long as they want, especially if you've got no next of kin, as was the case with Hopper's character. Actually, this aspect wasn't entirely clear to me, whether Hopper's character, along with a few others, got themselves admitted from the penitentiary to the nut house under false pretenses, or they were placed there as a means to alleviate an overcrowded system. I suppose it doesn't really matter, but it was question that stuck in my mind. I've found people either really like, or hate, Gary Oldman's performances, with few in between. As for myself, I'm a fan, as few actors I can think of get into a part as deeply as he does, accepting a vast variety of different roles, the only other, just off the top of my head, being Edward Norton. Hopper does an excellent job, providing a very controlled, restrained, realistic performance, something we don't get to see all that often, given his penchant for playing over the top villain types in a number of films, my personal favorite being the character Frank Booth from the 1986 David Lynch film Blue Velvet. My favorite scene in this film is when Emmett and Walker are lying in adjacent cots in the darkened barracks, and Walker is asking Emmett to describe some of his wife's more noticeable attributes, specifically her sweater puppies. Emmett, reluctant at first, eventually opens up, going into detail the difficulties in the sack he and his wife had after Emmett returned home from service, baring very personal and intimate details about himself, only afterwards to turn and see Walker had taken the bits he needed to satisfy himself through manual stimulation. Lovely...both McDormand and Reed also do very well, considering their parts were somewhat limited. One really strong scene worth sticking around for is when McDormand's character visits her husband, for the last time, breaking some particularly difficult news. With anyone else she might have appeared callous, shallow, and cold hearted, but McDormand really brought forth the frustration and anger within her character, one that obviously tried to understand the situation but finally gave up given the futility of the task, in terms of her character's capabilities. My only real complaint with regards to this movie was it felt like it was slightly abbreviated, especially given the story was meant to take place over a three or four year period. Perhaps the movie could have done with a little extra padding, but still, it's a very worthwhile, underrated film, worthy of a rental if you're interested in some superior performances.
The picture quality on this DVD release, in both the fullscreen (1.33:1) and widescreen anamorphic (1.85:1) formats, looks very sharp and clean, and the Dolby Digital Surround audio comes through well, with no complaints from me. The only extra included is a theatrical trailer for the film.
Cookieman108
If I learned anything from this film it's that Gary Oldman sings like an angel, at least when he's all doped up...also, if you find yourself incarcerated in a mental institution, do not conceal things up your backside because the guards will employ a rather unpleasant method to find whatever it is you're hiding.
