Fincher Recovers After Alien 3
Dark, grainy and depressing, this movie took me by surprise when I saw it. The "goth" movement was in full swing (indeed, Nine Inch Nails' "Closer" remix is heard over the opening credits) and Brad Pitt still had to prove his mettle. At this point, he was still a pretty boy, but his role in "12 Monkeys" a few months later (and the reverberations of "Kalifornia") started to change my mind. Kevin Spacey, who I'd recently seen in The Ref and Swimming With Sharks, was eerily perfect as John Doe - he totally held my attention the few minutes he was on-screen. And this was my first time seeing Morgan Freeman's "elder stateman" role that he would come to perfect over the years. I'd seen Alien 3, so I kind of knew what to expect visually from the director, but this film went way beyond all expectation. Definitely one to watch, but be prepared for a rain cloud to hover over your head for the rest of the day.