Review of Auto Focus (2002) by Dave A — 17 Feb 2011
I didn't think anyone could portray sex as so lurid and a rise and fall so uncomfortable, especially when the person falling, has no idea that it's happening. This criminally underrated 2002 effort is a biopic about Bob Crane, the star of the 1960's hit show "Hogan's Heroes" and the dark underbelly of fame.
Director Paul Schrader (who wrote "Taxi Driver" and "Raging Bull") has a flair for painting a damning portrait of a man in permanent free fall, in which Crane goes from a respectable family man to a sex addicted has been that documented all of his sexual experiences on video, a new technology at the time.
Schrader and his cinematographer have a wonderful way of establishing mood, starting the film off in bright, colorful tones as if it were a Brady Bunch episode before sinking into a dark and lurid handheld world of a man who is living by excess.
The movie becomes very uneasy to watch and it's all the more clear by watching a man who seems to live in delusion Kinnear turns in the best performance of his career and a sharp contrast from the kinds of likable guys he's played in the past.
His portrait of Crane is a man whose career is fading and his lust, both literally and figuratively have eclipsed both his career and his life. Dafoe complements him well as a colleague who turned out to be either Crane's best friend or a creepy user coasting by on his celebrity.
Dafoe's Carpenter is almost like the seductive demon who draws Crane into a world that the actor can't get out. A good movie overall, but not for those who can't handle watching dark material.
This review of Auto Focus (2002) was written by Dave A on 17 Feb 2011.
Auto Focus has generally received positive reviews.
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