Grade:  B

Director:  Mark Romanek		Released:  August 2002
Writer:  Mark Romanek		MPAA Rating:  R
Players:  Robin Williams		Running time:  96 minutes

Ratings System

Robin Williams, served up extra creepy, dominates One Hour Photo.  It's an Oscar caliber performance, every bit as deranged as Anthony Hopkins' Hannibal Lecter, just not as sexy.  Part of what makes the performance great is that Williams allows himself to look old.  He looks so old and lonely and pathetic, it adds greatly to his air of creepiness.  Even though his acting is fantastic, my personal favorite thing about this movie is that it doesn't cop out at the end.  It stays realistic (well, surrealistic anyway) and true to itself throughout.  It never degrades into a shoot-out or some other silly movie cliche.

If you've ever met a guy like Sy, you know Williams nailed the way he is uncomfortable with himself and as a result makes everyone around him equally uncomfortable.  This is why stalkers are so dangerous, not because of what they actually do, but because of the potential for what they might do, and the delusional thoughts that occupy their minds.

There's something else important going on in this film.  It's subtle, but important.  Notice the way the female characters interact with Sy compared to the male characters.  The females are much nicer to him, while the males clearly don't want to have anything to do with him.  This mirrors real life and, in my opinion, is the reason that females are targeted much more often by stalkers.  They are simply more courteous, but to a delusional mind that can come off as loving and caring, making a person think the woman has some sort of feelings toward him that don't really exist.

This is a complete film.  A beginning, middle, and end that the audience can follow and understand (but not sympathize).  I like that.  There's something to be said about a film that brings you in at the right time, gives you all the information you need, and then ends it at the right time.

- crocoPuffs