Title: Passion Play
Directed by: Mitch Glazer
Starring: Mickey Rourke, Megan Fox, Bill Murray, Kelly Lynch and Rhys Ifans
Running time: 94 minutes, Rated R, Also available on standard DVD
Nate Pool (Rourke), a washed up jazz musician gets himself in a bit of trouble and is left for dead in the desert. He happens upon a traveling carnival where he meets the “angel” Lily Luster (Fox) who is working as a sideshow attraction. Determined to get back on his feet he convinces her to leave the carnival with him, intending is to deliver her to gang boss Happy Shannon (Murray). What he doesn’t count on is falling in love with her.
I’ll bet the script read better than what was played out on screen; kind of cliché, but not terrible. Writer/director Glazer got himself a stellar cast and Megan Fox’s acting is getting better from her past few films. It was basically a film noir-esque type film with a little bit of fantasy thrown in by having Megan Fox’s character sport “angel wings.” The love scene was a tad ridiculous, because Rourke couldn’t figure out what to do with his hands with those spread wings in the way, and I just wasn’t buying the sensuality or enjoyment. His sexuality has dwindled a bit over the years and it’s nothing like his performance in 9 ½ Weeks. Bill Murray wasn’t the first choice to play Happy, but he gave a great performance per usual.
This film’s hair and make-up department looked like it was sponsored by Bump-It, but the angel wings were pretty cool.
The Blu-ray had no extras whatsoever, so if you don’t care about picture quality, it’s okay to go cheap on the standard DVD. The ending was a little confusing to me, and it would’ve been nice to hear Glazer’s explanation, but no dice.
Passion Play was not spectacular, but it has that artsy feel to it and was entertaining enough if you have the time.
Total Rating: C
Reviewed by JM Willis
