The Lazarus Project


Starring: Paul Walker, Linda Cardellini, Bob Gunton, Piper Pearabo, Shawn Hatosy

2.5/4

Rated PG-13 for Some Violence, Disturbing Images and Thematic Material

“The Lazarus Project” is a “Shutter Island” wannabe (well, vice versa, since this was made first).  It’s the same premise: a guy winds up in a mental hospital who discovers that he may not be as sane as he thinks he is.  There are a number of significant differences, however (seeing Martin Scorcese’s film does not mean you will be able to predict the end of this one).

Ben Garvey (Walker) is an ex-con who has just finished parole.  He’s excited to get his life back on track with his wife Lisa (Pearabo) and daughter Katie (Brooklyn Proulx).  Then he gets a visit from his brother, Ricky (Hatosy), who is also an ex-con and has just gotten out of prison.  Ricky has another job that he needs Ben’s help on.  Ben turns him down, but after he is fired from his job because of his prison record, he reluctantly agrees.  Things go wrong, however, and three people end up dead.  Because Texas law says that by being there Ben is just as guilty as if he had killed all three of them himself (even though he hadn’t), he is found guilty and sentenced to death.  But when he gets the needle, he wakes up in a psychiatric hospital in Oregon, where he is the new groundskeeper.  But things start happening that make him aware that not everything may be as it seems.

I’ve always liked Paul Walker.  He may not be the best actor, but he has a certain charisma and charm that makes him appealing.  Lately, however he has begun to stretch his range.  He wowed critics with his dynamite performance in “Running Scared,” a film that sadly no one saw.  He also got good reviews for his role in Clint Eastwood’s “Flags of our Fathers,” which is unseen by me.  In “The Lazarus Project,” Walker gives an unusually low-key performance, and it’s effective.  We feel for him and want to see him through to the end.  Able support is given by veteran character actor Bob Gunton and Linda Cardellini (who, along with Walker, gives some much needed life to the middle section).

The problem with the film is that the middle section is boring as hell.  Not in an artsy, pretentious way, but in a way that’s even worse: for about a half an hour nothing seems to happen at all.  Oh, sure, people talk and walk around, but that’s it.  Nothing they say (except in the scenes with Walker and Cardellini) is interesting or moves the plot forward.  Apart from the scenes with Paul and Linda, the middle portion skirts the level of unwatchability.

Fortunately, things pick up significantly in the final act.  The pace picks up and the plot starts turning its gears.  Walker is given more to do, and he takes advantage of it.  Director John Glenn demonstrates an adequate sleight of hand, something that even the most accomplished directors have stumbled at.  Sadly, the well-put together final act can’t make up for the inexcusably sluggish middle section.

Comments

  1. AnonymousMarch 18, 2012 at 2:12 PM

    While I agree Shutter Island is a better film, the Lazarus Project actually came out first. Calling the Lazarus Project a "wannabe" of something that hadn't come out yet is a little disingenuous.

    ReplyDelete

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