Director Keith Gordon (MOTHER NIGHT, WAKING THE DEAD) makes another brave adaptation with THE SINGING DETECTIVE. Based on Dennis Potter's stunningly brilliant 1986 mini-series of the same name, Gordon's version finds the film's troubled hero transplanted to 1950s America, not post-WWII London. Dan Dark (Robert Downey Jr.) is a .. Read more
| Starring | Robert Downey Jr., Robin Wright Penn, Mel Gibson, Katie Holmes |
|---|---|
| Director | Keith Gordon |
| Genres | Drama, Music/Musical, Romance |
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Director Keith Gordon (MOTHER NIGHT, WAKING THE DEAD) makes another brave adaptation with THE SINGING DETECTIVE. Based on Dennis Potter's stunningly brilliant 1986 mini-series of the same name, Gordon's version finds the film's troubled hero transplanted to 1950s America, not post-WWII London. Dan Dark (Robert Downey Jr.) is a pulp novelist in the thralls of a crippling skin disease that has rendered him delusional and immobile. Bitter, angry, and at the end of his tether, Dan manages to offend everyone he encounters. As he lies in bed, scenes from his novel swim into his mind, blurring with experiences from his own childhood. In the present, he remains paranoid that his ex-wife Nicola (Robin Wright Penn) is out to steal a script he wrote. Adding to his disgust are forced visits with an uptight psychotherapist, Dr. Gibbon (Mel Gibson), who is determined to make a breakthrough with his hateful patient. Along the way, Dan envisions several musical sequences, which appear out of nowhere and add glorious confusion to his fevered state. Gordon, working from a script that Potter himself wrote before his death, delivers an imaginary, vibrant film that is aided greatly by Robert Downey Jr.'s ferocious performance.
| Starring | Robert Downey Jr., Robin Wright Penn, Mel Gibson, Katie Holmes, Jeremy Northam, Adrien Brody |
|---|---|
| Director | Keith Gordon |
| Studio | MGM ENTERTAINMENT |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 49 mins |
| Certificate |  |
| Genres | Drama, Music/Musical, Romance |
| Language | DVD: English |
| Released | Production year: 2003 To Rent: DVD: 19 Jul 2004 |
Much less successful than the original BBC TV series, this has lost the dark urgency of the original, and its much shorter running time and transfer to an American setting also diminish it.
- 14
- 6
Oh Dear
Not a patch on the tv series which just goes to show that star names doesnt equal star performances.Robert Downey isnt at all convincing in the lead role which ... read more »
[Highly rated reviewer]
- 0
- 0
Don't Knock it That Much
I don't think this film should necessarilly be wholly judged on the TV series, which I seem to remember went on for an awfully long time, After all, Dennis ... read more »
- 2
- 0
come on its Dennis Potter
If you want a film you can enjoy with the other half then this is not for you.
Robert Downey Jnr plays Dan Dark, an author languishing in a hospital ... read more »
- 0
- 0
Not what I hoped for
I really wanted to like this film - I was expecting a lot more of the 'film noir' type detective story with a bit of a twist. What you actually get for... read more »
Robert Downey, Jr. is set to show off his song and dance skills in a new movie-musical. The Iron Man star has signed up for a lead role in a currently untitled film about two Broadway songwriters who take a job at a theatre camp when their stage musical flops. The music for the new movie will be written by the Tony Award-winning team behind hit Broadway show Next to Normal, according to EW.com. Downey, Jr. has previously contributed to several of his film's soundtracks including Chaplin and... Read more
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