CRAZY AS HELL (2002)

Synopsis: A successful, yet troubled psychiatrist accepts a temporary residential position in a mental health facility for the purpose of around the clock coverage of his controversial method of treating patients. There he encounters a friendly, but disapproving head doctor as well as the most challenging patient he has ever encountered as he comes to grips with what he is really running away from in his own life. Directed by Eriq La Salle. Starring Eriq La Salle, Michael Beach, Ronny Cox, Tia Texada, John C. McGinley, Sinbad.  

I came across this dvd in the "for sale" bin of the video store, and I am glad I did. Its the dream of the serious movie buff, to find a movie (preferably for free or a real good price), that you don't know anything about, have never heard of, but get it and find you really enjoy it and will watch it again and again over time.

I picked it up, like so many do, because of the intriguing cover and the fact that two really good movie character actors, were the leads in this one. Its not a horror film nor does it pretend to be, although the DVD covers in some instances might lead one to believe that it is. Its a psychological drama (notice, I did not say "thriller")  

This is the quintessential low budget film, shot almost entirely on one location, with only a couple of forays outside. The film starts with psychiatrist Dr. Ty Adams (Michael Beach Internal Affairs) awakening suddenly from a gruesome nightmare. He then proceeds on to the Sedah State Mental Hospital, where he is going to display his controversial treatment methods in residency while being filmed around the clock.

There, he meets a friendly but reluctant head Dr. Delaszo (Ronny Cox Deliverance, Total Recall), a humorous orderly (Sinbad), a sensuous cafeteria worker (Tia Texada Nurse Betty), and the most confounding patient he has ever encountered: a suave, enigmatic, and articulate man who calls himself "Satan"(Eriq La Salle Coming To America) and seems much more interested in Dr. Adam's troubles than his own.  

There are some side stories in addition to this main progression, of course. Dr. Adams, we learn as the film goes on, has recently lost his wife and daughter to suicide in the wake of his failure to adequately treat his own schizophrenic child. There is also the other problematic patient, in addition to Satan, a young woman with extremely violent tendencies who never speaks. Dr. Adams takes a special interest in her case, although he doesn't eschew his practice of ignoring medication for therapy.

The movie is carried, however, by the scenes between Beach and La Salle and Beach and Cox. These are the heart of the movie and central to the twist at the end of the movie. Curiously, Cox and La Salle, interestingly, never appear on screen together. Michael Beach has long been a solid, if unheralded, character actor (Internal Affairs, Waiting to Exhale, Bad Company) and its nice to see him get the opportunity to carry an entire movie as the lead, as he is in almost every scene.

Also deserving mention are John C. McGinley, who plays the head of the film crew employed to capture every moment of Beach's actions at the facility. Tia Texada simply heats up the screen in her few important minutes with the perfect blend of smoldering, but subtly understated, sultriness.

Eriq La Salle has a great presence, as always, and he accomplishes his goal of making his character unsettling. La Salle also directs this film, and those of you who see the DVD version will enjoy his director's commentary, talking start to finish about the movie, and what he was trying to accomplish and why. This is a pleasant contrast to many director's commentaries, which focus on telling unrelated stories, fawning over the actors, or complaining about the lack of financing they had for the film. La Salle is trying to show us his vision of ultimate questions and issues that all of us must face at some point. Whether or not you agree with La Salle's interpretation, you will see it clearly, at least in the end, and it will give you something to seriously think about.  

As I said earlier, Crazy is Hell, despite its title, is not what you might think it to be on the surface...which is the whole point of the movie, as you will see in the ending.  The film never tries to be what its not, and you won't see any weak attempts at gratuitous gore or awkward CGI. It is high on symbolism. Its low budget and it never pretends that its not. Almost everyone will suspect that there is a twist coming, the trick will be in guessing what that particular twist is. There are a couple of different ways the movie could go, and the way that it does go is not surprising...if you pick up the clues.

Sound cryptic? Well, its meant to be, especially for those who have not seen the film. One good thing is that this will hold up upon a second viewing as La Salle doesn't cheat in the build up to the conclusion.

This is a solid film that will be enjoyable and the kind of movie you watch over again as time passes since its message, as it were, are timeless. At worst, this will be a film that you can talk about, think about, and discuss with someone else who saw it as well.

Not too shabby, huh? Do yourself a favor and pick up Crazy as Hell if you get the chance.