Review of Powder Blue (2009) by Tara G — 05 Sep 2009

Writer / Director Timothy Linh Bui delivers a riveting first act with an ensemble cast that I suspect was mustered by Producer Forest Whitaker. Whitaker (a suicidal ex priest) is joined by Ray Liotta (an ex con) , Patrick Swayze (a pimp), Lisa Kudrow (a diner waiter), Eddie Redmayne (a mortician), and Jessica Biel ( a stripper with a dying son).

These are people who have come to a breaking point on the grimy streets of Los Angeles. Great dramatic potential ensues... Like "Crash" I was looking forward to watching the interconnection of these fascinating characters, but it doesn't quite happen.

While Whitaker has a brief scene with Redmayne, his story becomes an adjunct to the rest of the drama as it unfolds. The soundtrack is fantastic in the "stripper bar scenes" but the director seems more interested in Jessica Biel's pole dancing and lap dancing abilities (which are excellent) than her acting abilities (which are far from excellent).

Late in the third act, a strange blue snow envelopes Los Angeles which I suspect is how everything is connected? A miracle? I'm not sure. The metaphor is tenuously esoteric at best, so I'm sure the director knows what the title is all about, but I was left thinking that another round of script development was in order.