Even without seeing his name in the opening credits, this is clearly a Brian De Palma movie: The tone is quasi-surreal, the acting is mannered and intriguing, the camera angles are inventive and often deliberately disorienting, and the violence is intermittent but downright shocking. Unfortunately, the narrative here leaves a bit to be desired: Kirk Douglas is miscast in the lead as the doting father of a young man with psychic abilities being hunted by a government agency, which makes the central conflict rather strained, while there are a number of downright inexplicable interactions here and there that make the narrative difficult to follow at times. But nevertheless, the movie gets better as it goes along, helped by Amy Irving’s extraordinary performance, and the climax is a jolting shocker that redefines the movie.
Rating: ★★★ (out of 5)
