Review of THX 1138 (1971) by Jonathan P — 03 Nov 2008

It certainly makes one wonder to see Lucas' name on both the script and the director's plaque. This film is actually interesting because not only does it hark back to earlier sci-fi and tries (successfully, in my opinion) to ask some difficult ontological questions; it also does it in a way that's audiovisually stimulating.

In fact, the audio, when patched into a loud and dynamic output is marvelous in its ability to try to menace with the listener on a few different levels. Seeing Duvall in this role feels like seeing John Hurt in 1984, and though Hurt's emanciated physique and plenty of dialogue allow him to really build up the persona of Winston Smith, Duvall does a pretty good job given a much more minimalistic field of play.

Overall, I was extremely pleased with this film and hope to give it my full attention next time I have a chance to see it.