Endgame

Gary Wicks' feature debut ENDGAME is both ambitious and compelling, yet also deeply flawed. Though economical in terms of budget and narrative scale, the film's production values are high, and the cast is a veritable who's-who of familiar British faces. McGann's seedy villain is a study in concentrated evil, obsessed with power and violence, and completely indifferent to human suffering, while Benfield (most recognizable to US audiences from his recurring appearance in TV's "Prime Suspect") exudes quiet menace as a debauched authority figure, desperate to reclaim his soiled dignity. Central to the film's success, however, is Daniel Newman, an elfin beauty who began his career as a child actor in TV dramas such as 15 THE LIFE AND DEATH OF PHILIP KNIGHT (1993) and "The Borrowers" (1993), supplementing his theatre and TV appearances with brief supporting roles in various UK-lensed Hollywood blockbusters (ROBIN HOOD PRINCE OF THIEVES, BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA, etc.) until he became old enough to tackle the challenges of unconventional adult roles, such as the recalcitrant drug addict in JUNK (1999), and the troubled teenager who forms part of a bisexual love triangle in SPEAK LIKE A CHILD (1998). Here, his physical beauty is employed in a manner which renders him sympathetic and childlike, and his low-key performance anchors the entire film. Overall, the characters and pacing may be a little muted, and some of the the lapses in logic are too significant to ignore (Barry and Johnson's reaction to Newman's crime is simply not credible), but Wicks succeeds in generating a mood of operatic tragedy, helped in no small measure by attractive location photography (by David Bennett) and a memorable music score by Adrian Thomas. The film is hideously violent in places, but most of it is suggested rather than shown, despite what you may have heard elsewhere.

But, for all its grandeur, the movie is compromised by an unnecessary plot development which seems calculated to provoke outraged disbelief: From the outset, Newman plays his character with gestures and mannerisms that clearly define him as a young gay man, and Wicks (whose resumé includes an executive producer credit on MOMENTS WITH JOHAN [1996], a softcore ode to European porn star Johan Paulik) makes a virtue of Newman's exquisite splendor, presenting him either shirtless or naked in every other scene and directing Bennett's camera to savor (almost) every inch of Newman's glorious, sculpted body. But all of the gay sex scenes involve violence and coercion, during which Newman is brutalized and dominated by McGann and his disgusting cronies, while the only sexual tenderness he experiences is with a woman (Barry), who takes pity on his loneliness and fragility! This, despite the fact that it's Barry's husband (Johnson) who invites Newman into their lives, paving the way for an altogether more believable storyline in which Newman's character could have experienced his first moment of romance with another man. The fact that it happens with a woman is both inappropriate and offensive, and it suggests nothing more than a sop to commercial fortunes, skewing the film towards a gay audience whilst simultaneously appeasing potential straight viewers, an approach which satisfies no one and defies all narrative logic. That said, however, the plot is reasonably engaging and the performances are superb, while the fetishization of Newman's fabulous torso provides more than enough compensation for the movie's thematic shortcomings. Recommended, but with serious reservations.

TLA Releasing's all-region DVD - which runs 113m 5s - presents the movie in full-screen format only, unmasking an amount of 'dead space' at the bottom of the frame and opening up the original 1.85:1 image gathered in the upper portion of the screen, so viewers with 16:9 TV's can simply zoom into the image and scroll to the top of the picture for an approximation of the original theatrical experience (an accompanying trailer is appropriately framed at 1.85:1). Picture quality is excellent, and though a letterboxed version would have been preferable, TLA's full-screen presentation offers a more revealing view of Newman's nude scenes than the theatrical print, particularly during a memorable slow-motion shower sequence which positively revels in his nakedness. The 2.0 stereo soundtrack is OK for the most part but seems a little muffled in places, possibly due to an inexcusable downmix from the original 5.1 Dolby Digital theatrical version. There are no captions or subtitles and, aside from the aforementioned trailer, no extras (an audio commentary from Wicks explaining the creative decisions which led to Newman's relationship with Barry rather than Johnson would have been more than welcome), except for previews of other TLA releases, including Miles Swain's THE TRIP (2002), which looks like a lot of fun.

This movie had me on the edge of my seat and when it was over I was angry and wanted more; but I won't get into those details.

If you don't appreciate a dramatic thriller; go elsewhere.