Review of Keane (2004) by Chads. — 25 Oct 2005

Damian Lewis is so convincing as a very troubled man, you can almost smell his stink when he cleans himself in a public bathroom. His scenes with Abigail Breslin are touching, but there's always that edge underneath their bond.

After all, he's still a stranger. If you don't like William Keene, you're out of luck because he's in every scene, and director Lodge Kerrigan shoots him in close-up. That big Caucasian head suffocates the frame, but when William isn't having one of his episodes, we can see that he indeed does have a body.

"Keane" is a borderline masterpiece, a living thing. In the film's opening scene, William shoves a photo of his daughter in strangers' faces, and Kerrigan's camera seems to mimic his protagonist's exasperated breathing; as like most people when greeted by a manic stranger, they walk away.

"Keane" is an absolute triumph, and it's doubtful that there'll be a better American film to be released this year. Thank god Kerrigan didn't shoot this on digital video. He's talented enough to depict the harsh realities of the city on celluloid.

By the way, Breslin is better than Dakota Fanning.