Review of Jacknife (1989) by Adam R — 29 Mar 2014

Directed by David Jones (84 Charing Cross Road (1987)), and written by playwright Stephen Metcalfe, adapted from his 1982 play Strange Snow. This is a touching and moving drama about what should have been a simple relationship, let down by troubled souls and guilt and memories of the past.

It has some very good performances in it, and it's very focused and contained on it's characters. Joseph Megessey (Robert De Niro), is a Vietnam veteran who is mentally unstable, suffering from post-traumatic stress.

After hearing from his old war buddy Dave (Ed Harris), Joseph takes it upon himself to pay him a visit and take Dave on a fishing trip. However, he hasn't told Dave he was coming, and he meets Dave's sister Martha (Kathy Baker), who is surprised by Joseph's manner.

But Joseph is shocked to see that Dave has become an alcoholic, and he's stuggling to adapt to life. However, Joseph and Martha become romantically involved, Joseph finds solace in Martha, but Dave cannot come to accept that his sister is seeing his best friend.

This is the film that The Deer Hunter (1978) should have been, small, intimate and personal. It's a shame that it didn't do as well as it should have when it came out, (there were loads of Vietnam War films being made in the mid-to-late 1980's), but this has some touching performances and it's done with sensitivity and care.