Pathology
3/4
Starring: Milo Ventimiglia, Michael Weston, Lauren Lee Smith, Johnny Whitworth, John de Lancie, Alyssa Milano, Keir O'Donnell, Mei Melancon, Dan Callahan
Rated R for Disturbing and Perverse Behavior Throughout, including Violence, Gruesome Images, Strong Sexual Content, Nudity, Drug Use and Language
The doctor who believes himself to be God is a common cliche, and happens more often than might think. The thought that the doctor in charge of your life believes himself to be infallible is frightening. This theme has been used in movies such as "Malice" and "Hollow Man," but "Pathology" takes it a step further. A group of pathologists (doctors who perform autopsies to determine cause of death...a field that some consider to being the next best thing to God Himself) play a deadly game: they kill people and dare each other to find out how.
Dr. Ted Grey (Ventimiglia) is a brilliant graduate of Harvard who is studying pathology in one of the best programs in the country. His most esteemed colleague is Dr. Vincent Gallo (Weston), another student whose considerable talent is outstripped by his ego. Initially, Ted gets off to a rough start, with Gallo and the rest of the doctors bullying him. The only ones who are kind to him are his teacher, Dr. Morris (de Lancie) and Dr. Ben Stravinsky (O'Donnell), another doctor who is also put upon but worships Ted. But eventually Gallo warms up to him and invites him to join their deadly game of sex, drugs and murder (it helps that his fiancee Gwen (Milano) is away finishing law school). He accepts, but when things go too far, he wants out. Unfortunately, Gallo and the others won't let him leave alive.
There is no doubt that this is an intense movie. With the amount of degradation and, putting it bluntly, evil, that permeates through this film, it is not for the squeamish. There's nothing that director Mac Scholermann doesn't show; it's awash in gore and graphic sex (how it avoided an NC-17 is beyond me).
That being said, this film does what it promises. It's consistently suspenseful, but it's also intelligent; while those with a medical degree may be able to follow the medical jargon, everyone else will still get it because it's easy to understand what it means to the story. It's not flawless; there's a fairly obvious plot inconsistency and the tension stays constant rather than increases (for the most part).
The acting is top form. Milo Ventimiglia has a difficult job: he must get us on his side despite the fact that he is a murderer. But Ventimiglia, whose claim to fame at the time was his role in the TV show "Heroes," looks more like the school's golden boy rather than a psychopath, which makes it impossible to truly dislike him. His co-star, Michael Weston, steals the show. Gallo is downright chilling, sometimes approaching Hannibal Lector creepy. He's a total psychopath, yes, but he believes that he is untouchable. Not content with killing people and sleeping with his co-workers, Gallo forces Ted to play terrifying morality games with him. Alyssa Milano is adorable; she and Ventimiglia have a nice chemistry. Keir O'Donnell (most famous for playing the misanthropic brother in the overrated "Wedding Crashers") is equally lovable as Ben. The other members of the cast (Smith, Whitworth, Melancon and Callahan) are perfectly freaky.
"Pathology" is not for the faint of heart. It deserved a better release than MGM (which was in its final death throes) gave it.
Starring: Milo Ventimiglia, Michael Weston, Lauren Lee Smith, Johnny Whitworth, John de Lancie, Alyssa Milano, Keir O'Donnell, Mei Melancon, Dan Callahan
Rated R for Disturbing and Perverse Behavior Throughout, including Violence, Gruesome Images, Strong Sexual Content, Nudity, Drug Use and Language
The doctor who believes himself to be God is a common cliche, and happens more often than might think. The thought that the doctor in charge of your life believes himself to be infallible is frightening. This theme has been used in movies such as "Malice" and "Hollow Man," but "Pathology" takes it a step further. A group of pathologists (doctors who perform autopsies to determine cause of death...a field that some consider to being the next best thing to God Himself) play a deadly game: they kill people and dare each other to find out how.
Dr. Ted Grey (Ventimiglia) is a brilliant graduate of Harvard who is studying pathology in one of the best programs in the country. His most esteemed colleague is Dr. Vincent Gallo (Weston), another student whose considerable talent is outstripped by his ego. Initially, Ted gets off to a rough start, with Gallo and the rest of the doctors bullying him. The only ones who are kind to him are his teacher, Dr. Morris (de Lancie) and Dr. Ben Stravinsky (O'Donnell), another doctor who is also put upon but worships Ted. But eventually Gallo warms up to him and invites him to join their deadly game of sex, drugs and murder (it helps that his fiancee Gwen (Milano) is away finishing law school). He accepts, but when things go too far, he wants out. Unfortunately, Gallo and the others won't let him leave alive.
There is no doubt that this is an intense movie. With the amount of degradation and, putting it bluntly, evil, that permeates through this film, it is not for the squeamish. There's nothing that director Mac Scholermann doesn't show; it's awash in gore and graphic sex (how it avoided an NC-17 is beyond me).
That being said, this film does what it promises. It's consistently suspenseful, but it's also intelligent; while those with a medical degree may be able to follow the medical jargon, everyone else will still get it because it's easy to understand what it means to the story. It's not flawless; there's a fairly obvious plot inconsistency and the tension stays constant rather than increases (for the most part).
The acting is top form. Milo Ventimiglia has a difficult job: he must get us on his side despite the fact that he is a murderer. But Ventimiglia, whose claim to fame at the time was his role in the TV show "Heroes," looks more like the school's golden boy rather than a psychopath, which makes it impossible to truly dislike him. His co-star, Michael Weston, steals the show. Gallo is downright chilling, sometimes approaching Hannibal Lector creepy. He's a total psychopath, yes, but he believes that he is untouchable. Not content with killing people and sleeping with his co-workers, Gallo forces Ted to play terrifying morality games with him. Alyssa Milano is adorable; she and Ventimiglia have a nice chemistry. Keir O'Donnell (most famous for playing the misanthropic brother in the overrated "Wedding Crashers") is equally lovable as Ben. The other members of the cast (Smith, Whitworth, Melancon and Callahan) are perfectly freaky.
"Pathology" is not for the faint of heart. It deserved a better release than MGM (which was in its final death throes) gave it.
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