Review of The Crucible (1996) by Mloy X — 14 Nov 2011

The Crucible is an intense colonial crime thriller, and its just about as good as a colonial crime thriller can be. My biggest problem with this film is the lack of solid set pieces. All of the indoor rooms look like they're part of 1990s movie.

There are many plots going on here; the relationship between Abby and the girls (which is actually abandoned about 30 minutes in), John and Abby, John and his wife, and the town of Salem and the witch trials. Unfortunately, the storyline with Abby is quickly thrown out the window and she and her clan of teenager girls become simply a force of evil. The story grabs at Daniel Day-Lewis' John Proctor as a protaganist without much setup. But Day-Lewis handles it well, and gives a performance that can be painful to watch. In a good way. There are a few memorable scenes that also prove painful to rewatch later (more notably, the adultery court scene with Elizabeth Proctor and the very first scene with the mangled chicken).

I must note that I have not finished the film. We are about halfway through it in my English class, and we watch it in short 10 or 15 minute chunks. I don't know whether this helps or hurts a film's impression on the viewer, but I've certainly enjoyed it.