Review of You Don't Know Jack (2010) by Mike C — 29 Oct 2011

Rewatch: Pretty much exactly same thoughts as before. The only difference might be that I just watched a documentary about ALS and its very destructive nature. Several of Kevorkian's patients suffered from ALS. Even the patient in the doc I watched said the only reason he wouldn't do it is because he had a young child and family. This movie just saddens me because it represents the height of stupidity. One group doesn't like something, and doesn't make any form of sense in reaching that opinion, yet it becomes the law of the land. The way the final case was handled and the outcome is a huge black mark on an already suspect justice system. It's just a disgrace that we have to answer to something so fallible.

Original: Before watching this, Ed Harris was seemingly untouchable as Jackson Pollock on my list of biopics. After watching this, Harris is in the least given a run for his money if not overtaken by Pacino as Dr. Death Jack Kevorkian.

Quite honestly, if you don't get the whole reason behind assisted suicide, I feel sorry for you. This movie features several of the actual tapes made my Kevorkian and potential clients. If you can watch one of those and make a legitimate argument for keeping that person alive, well I don't believe it can be done. As in so many cases, the religious nuts came out of their shell to make their case, and it seems to be the only case against helping someone end his or her suffering.

Kevorkian seems to be one hell of a stand up guy. As he says in the movie, he has never been wrong. Doesn't tell lies. Doesn't exaggerate. He seems to start this project out of boredom, but presumably once he gets the sense of really helping someone in this unique position, and seeing the stupid fucking public outcry, became a true Dr. Death where that became his life. In the process, he came to fight certain politicians and some of the public who cannot see past its nose. A lesser man could not have pulled this off. Particularly great were the court scenes. First, the local prosecutor with a hardon for Kevorkian keeps failing and Jack eventually dresses up as a colonial and ends up walking out of the courtroom that did not dignify his presence. That's balls. And the far more moving scene comes at the end. It's one of the clearest railroading cases in American legal history. It is such an infuriating crock of shit. Near the end of his trial, representing himself, he comes to realize this and says he will never testify on his on behalf. The prosecution goes on to compare his behavior to that of the Nazis and Kevorkian explodes in a fit of genuine rage. I was leaning on a 9 rating already, but that scene was so moving...to be so right and so defeated at the same time...that I had to bump it to a 10.

On the movie, Harris may be a better Pollock than Pacino a Kevorkian, but Al plays it pretty spot on. Factor in that Kevorkian is actually a hero, and Pacino is an easy buy. This is a made for tv movie on HBO, but it will be a shame when Pacino does not get honored for this role.

On the issue, this has been a pet issue of mine since college when I learned about Nancy Cruzan. It is a medical perversion to keep someone alive just to keep them alive. And it is a break in logic to have the right to remove a feeding tube yet not speed up the dying process in a dignified way (a conversation Pacino actually has early in this movie). Like so many causes, the only argument against it is religion. Those of us without religion but with plenty of empathy cannot even begin to understand how even the most religious person cannot see how assisted suicide, when administered properly, can be a tremendous gift. Many issues and the way they are handled create deep fissures in my brain. This is one of my top five, probably top three.

All in all, so much better than I expected. I've long called Kevorkian a hero and his incarceration a travesty. After watching this and seeing just how stand up a guy he was, it just saddens me how far this country had to go to make a point.