 |
 |
|
|
|
The Curse Of The Jade Scorpion
Release
Date: 6th December 2002
Distributor: UIP
Certificate: 12A
Starring: Dan Aykroyd, Helen Hunt,
Woody Allen
Director: Woody
Allen
Running Time:
103
minutes
New
York - 1940, C W Briggs (Allen) is one of the best insurance investigators
in the city, with quite a reputation as a ladies man. His co-workers include
the firm's new efficiency expert, Betty Ann "Fitz" Fitzgerald
(Hunt) and their boss (and her lover) Chris Magruder (Aykroyd). Briggs prides
himself on being able to crack any insurance scam by getting into the mind
of the thief, and using his well honed sense of intuition, but Fitz cannot
stand the way he does things. She's desperate to get him fired, but Magruder
dismisses Briggs as harmless. 
One
night, several of the workers go out together to a club where a hypnotist
(David Ogden Stiers) brings Briggs and Fitz on stage and hypnotises them.
While under his power, they confess their undying love for each other, but
when they come to, they seem normal. However the hypnotist has implanted
a key word into each of their subconscious’s, and now he can use his
power, “the power of the Jade Scorpion", to force Briggs and
Betty Ann to commit robberies which they then end up investigating as part
of their job.
This
is the latest in a long line of Woody Allen comedy’s to trickle out
from that once deep pool of the writer/director’s talent - it’s
not that it’s a bad film; it’s just not the sort of film that
one thinks of immediately when Allen comes to mind. Set in 1940, it is a
sumptuous period piece, which certainly marks it as different from his other
recent films such as ‘Small Time Crooks’, but although there
are jokes in the film, it just isn’t funny enough. Allen’s best
moments in the film come when he goes under the influence of the hypnotist,
and his usual delivery gives way to an absurd formality.
The
performances in the film are good, especially from Ms Hunt, but the best
thing on offer here is the energetic and playful Charlize Theron as an opium
smoking actress who tries to seduce Briggs, but unfortunately she isn’t
given much screen time.Everyone knows that Mr Allen hasn’t made a film like ‘Annie Hall’ or ‘Manhattan’ for years, but he seems intent to carry on making movies as some sort of hobby. And you never know, one day he might find some of that once brilliant talent at the bottom of that pool and surprise us all.
But for now, ‘The Curse Of The Jade Scorpion’ is definitely one for the fans only.
Click
Below to see more pictures from the movie
