Review of Session 9 (2001) by Tyler M — 31 Mar 2012

Monday you could fall apart... Tuesday, Wednesday, break my heart...

Trust me, it's not what you're expecting it to be.

The Story: A crew of asbestos cleaners are hired to clean an old insane asylum with a strict deadline. I sat down thinking this was going to be a great moody, stylish, atmospheric thriller, chalk full of creepy things happening... But truth be told, it's not that moody, it's stylish to a point, and it's not as atmospheric as it could have been. I sat down to watch this knowing that it was directed and co-written by Brad Anderson, director of The Machinist, one of my all time favorite films. So, with the highest hopes, it's easy to see why I felt a little let down. There's no chains to be rattled here, hardly a ghost in sight, and no doors to suddenly close... Only a slow paced drama with generic characters.

The Cast: David Caruso, Peter Mullan, Brendan Sexton III, Josh Lucas, Paul Guilfoyle... Peter Mullan is Gordon Fleming, the man in charge, stressed out about family problems, among other things he's reached his point. He gives the best performance but that's not really saying too much. David Caruso is Phil, second in command of the crew with a slight drug problem, and bitter about losing his girlfriend to his former best friend, Hank. He gives a decent performance, but he still leaves a little to be desired. Josh Lucas is Hank, just your average run of the mill ass h**e, stole away Phil's girlfriend and is only worried about himself. Not the greatest or most original character in the film, but he gives a good performance. Brendan Sexton III is Jeff, he's Gordon's nephew, a newbie to the world of asbestos and afraid of the dark. This guy should never be allowed to "act" ever again.

One to Five Scale: 3.

It's average... It's so average that it's almost a two, don't go in thinking it's going to be a creepy ghost story... Go in knowing it's going to be a little slow and a little boring. Rent first, buy later.

Tyler.