Review of Jennifer Eight (1992) by Dave J — 28 May 2011

"Sir, I think I've found something horrible!".

Deliberate, rather well plotted detective curio that is long in development yet short on visceral thrills. I guess we don't see this kind of mystery in multiplexes anymore because of the proliferation of cop shows on TV that tell this kind of story. Some fine acting from Lance Henriksen and Andy Garcia who are strangely cast as brothers, with Garcia amusingly letting his natural Cuban accent slip out when his temper rises. John Malkovich is great in a small but crucial role as interrogator, and don't forget about blind girl Uma! I appreciated that the expected romance between cop & target was allowed to develop so that it made some sense and that the police department behaves in a very logical, methodical way. The killer's motive is not very convincing, but their identity at least is not merely chosen for shock value. A pretty good movie that mostly holds up through the end, I'll take it over any 3 episodes of C.S.I.