Kalifornia

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source: Kalifornia

Kalifornia is disturbing. I believe there is no reason for this story to be told. It is neither entertaining nor does it have social value. Technically, the movie is very well make, the performances are top rate and first class. The story develops in an intriguing way that holds interest. But at the end this movie sickens and is abhorrent to decency. I recommend Kalifornia to no one.

Released during the times of exploitation films like Natural Born Killers and Pulp Fiction, Kalifornia fits in well with the others. Brad Pitt earned my respect for his acting in this movie. He plays a killer quite well. Juliette Lewis and David Duchovny also star in the film and all work well together.

Rewatch the first 10 minutes after the end so that you can get your ire up. Duchovny's character spouting off about therapy and medication becomes even more irritating when you see what he (naturally) ends up doing when faced by unrelenting violence and bad intentions. Brad Pitt, in one of his earlier films, is phenomenal as are Michelle Forbes, Juliette Lewis and David Duchovny. I did not see when it first hit the movie theaters but appreciated it now.

For its first 90 minutes or so, Kalifornia looked to be one of the best character studies ever committed to film. I was almost breathless in admiration to as how the filmmakers had captured so vividly the social and mental divides, summing to a world of difference, between the two couples sharing a road trip with the theme that united them being serial killing. And then in the last thirty minutes, it's as if they let Beavis and Butthead write and direct. I have never seen a film promise so much and deliver so moronic, so idiotic, so bitterly disappointing a finale. Imagine if The Godfather was true to Francis Ford Coppola's vision for the first 2 1/2 hours ... and then the Corleone family morphed into super cyber soldiers and flew around the city with jetpacks and machine-guns, shooting all the rival families and then blowing up the White House and declaring themselves rulers of the world. It's that stupid. Don't say you weren't warned.

A journalist duo go on a tour of serial killer murder sites with two companions, unaware that one of them is a serial killer himself. As great as this film is, I have to say I found Brad Pitt more annoying than anything. Duchovny was great, Juliete Lewis was the same as always, Michelle Forbes was good, but Pitt... hmm. I consider him one of the best actors out there, and rumor is he even chipped a tooth for the role, but I just did not like his character. So annoying! Now, as a serial killer fan, I think this was a pretty good film. It was a good precursor to "Natural Born Killers" (also with Juliette Lewis) or "Seven" (with Brad Pitt). Was it a lead-in to "X-files"? Maybe, but probably not. And whatever happened to Michelle Forbes?

A wild performance by Brad Pitt is the highlight of this outstanding film. I found his VERY unbalanced character to be oddly charismatic as well, and even the acting talents of the other leads were not nearly enough to steal any of the spotlight from him. This film is absorbing, with some tremendously tense scenes and some surprisingly funny ones as well. In other words, it's the total package, and is a movie that is not to be missed.

Annoyingly directed and poorly acted with Ducoveny WAYYYYY miscast, this movie does NOT deserve the good reviews it's getting. It's truly boring and does not keep your attention at all.