Fraught with over obvious symbolism, Hartley's early feature is nonetheless a joy to watch. Hal here shows us his uncanny ability to cast his characters perfectly came early in his career. Adrienne Shelley is a near perfect foil to herself, equal parts annoying teen burgeoning in her sexuality (though using sex for several years); obsessed with doom and inspired by idealism gone wrong she is deceptively – and simultaneously – complex and simple. Her Audrey inspires so many levels of symbolism it is almost embarrassingly rich (e.g., her modeling career beginning with photos of her foot – culminating her doing nude (but unseen) work; Manhattan move; Europe trip; her stealing, then sleeping with the mechanics wrench, etc.) As Josh, Robert Burke gives an absolutely masterful performance. A reformed prisoner/penitent he returns to his home town to face down past demons, accept his lot and begin a new life. Dressed in black, and repeatedly mistaken for a priest, he corrects everyone ("I'm a mechanic"), yet the symbolism is rich: he abstains from alcohol, he practices celibacy (is, in fact a virgin), and seemingly has taken on vows of poverty, and humility as well. The humility seems hardest to swallow seeming, at times, almost false, a pretense. Yet, as we learn more of Josh we see genuineness in his modesty, that his humility is indeed earnest and believable. What seems ironic is the character is fairly forthright in his simplicity, yet so richly drawn it becomes the viewer who wants to make him out as more than what he actually is. A fascinatingly written character, perfectly played. The scene between Josh and Jane (a wonderful, young Edie Falco . . . "You need a woman not a girl") is hilarious . . . real. But Hartley can't leave it as such and his trick, having the actors repeat the dialogue over-and-over becomes frustratingly "arty" and annoying . . . until again it becomes hilarious. What a terrific sense of bizarre reality this lends the film (like kids in a perpetual "am not"/"are too" argument). Hartley's weaves all of a small neighborhood's idiosyncrasies into a tapestry of seeming stereotypes but which delves far beneath the surface, the catalyst being that everyone believes they know what the "unbelievable truth" of the title is, yet no two people can agree (including our hero) on what exactly that truth is. A wonderful little movie with some big ideas.
A good solid film for only a million dollar budget. The plot is believable and right along the same lines as Mission Impossible 2...and this movie came out 2 years before MI2. Maybe MI2 saw this and copied it on a big scale. Ron Pearlman is as sinister as he always is and Clint Howard plays the same quirky, goofball he is so good at. Annabelle Schofield and Morgan Brittany are sexy and fun to watch.
中年男子弗兰克(乔尔·默里 Joel Murray 饰)对聒噪的世界深感麻木,他的生活如同一潭死水,每天浑噩度日。他对自私邻居的侵扰忍辱退让,对前妻再婚和女儿叛逆感到无奈,对不知廉耻的电视真人秀选手反感厌恶。终于被诊断出脑瘤和丢掉工作的现实把弗兰克彻底击垮。正当他想以自杀了结此生时,真人秀里贪得无厌的选秀女孩激发出了他潜藏已久的憎恨,他决定以自己的方式让正义得到伸张。 于是弗兰克出门杀死了他自认为该死的邻家女孩克洛伊,这一幕被另一个女孩洛克西(塔拉·林内·巴尔 Tara Lynne Barr 饰)目睹。洛克西同样厌恶着充斥弊病的社会,她主动参与到弗兰克的杀人计划。两人携带枪支走上大街,大张旗鼓的玩起杀人游戏,成为新闻追踪的焦点……