Review of You Don't Know Jack (2010) by Ryan M — 18 Dec 2010

8.3/10.

In this world, men both suffer and prosper. For a while, the only way out seemed to be dying a slow death. But one man named Jack Kevorkian introduces the possibility of assisted suicide. Like most things of its type, his idea shocks the world. He is all for such a thing, and this happens to trouble a lot of people. Kevorkian was a misunderstood man. If I was alive when his case was heard, I would have been on his side. I believe that any man or woman has the right to choose when they want to die. If someone needs to help them do so, then so be it. It is our will to survive when we want to, and when we can no longer thrive; we should be able to pull the plug. "You Don't Know Jack" re-tells the story of Kevorkian's life on-screen, and it works to miraculous effect. Not only is the story powerful and emotionally resonant, but the film also features one of Al Pacino's best performances in years. Pacino is pitch-perfect as Kevorkian, and the supporting cast does what they do best; support his own performance. Everything is handled nicely; especially the scenes of assisted suicide (which are shown). What makes them so powerful and emotional is that in but an instant, this film can make us care for these people and sympathize for their desire. Kevorkian seems to understand their wish to die, and he also respects it. Why other people cannot is beyond me. Is it because of religion? Is it because it's just not right? People regarded Jack as a sick man. I would regard him as a genius. He saw dying men for what they were; troubled human beings who can no longer breathe, thrive, love, and survive as they should. He wanted to end their misery so that they could live happier elsewhere. However, this is perhaps where the controversy came in. Did Jack Kevorkian believe in God? I don't suppose he did. That implies that he did not believe in Heaven. So where did he, Jack, believe people went once he gave them their injection? I don't suppose he considered they would be going anywhere. But nowhere is better then here, so he would think. "You Don't Know Jack" captures Kevorkian perfectly. I recommend that you see this film. It furthermore proves that HBO is a trusty place to look for high-quality made-for-TV productions. Especially when they are films original to the highly popular channel. I believe that "You Don't Know Jack" is one of their finest productions. It's good stuff.

Most of us have heard of Jack Kevorkian. He is the man that many would call "heartless", "murderous", and monstrous". He was even called inhuman. The reason behind all the insults: Kevorkian was risky as hell. He announced to the world that he believed in assisted suicide, and went on to claim over 130 "victims". People called him a murderer for this, although when taken to court, Kevorkian asked the jury if they could look at him and envision a killer. Kevorkian was not a killer. He was perhaps too risky for the likes of most people, but he was no serial murderer. He never killed anyone. In the film, he even refuses to offer his services to a suicidal man who no longer has the usage of his legs. That particular man was not troubled enough for the likes of Kevorkian. However, Kevorkian did help to assist other people in suicide. But this was purely their intention, and Jack wanted the best for them. His vision was to end suffering, and people decided to debate against that. I found is kind of ridiculous that anyone would want to argue against Jack's beliefs. Kevorkian was a smart man who knew what he was doing. He was not a visionary by any means, but he wanted to help people more than he wanted to hurt them. Assisting suicide is no sin, but it is no good deed either. It is a rather unholy task, but I do not see it as (entirely) wrong. "You Don't Know Jack" is a fully engrossing drama/biopic. It captures the life and times of Jack Kevorkian so vividly and almost makes us like the guy. The story remains pretty faithful to the facts, although as with all biopics it is not entirely flawless in its portrayal. How could it be? That's essentially impossible to do. However, it is not impossible to make a thoroughly entertaining film out of a fascinating premise. This is a worthwhile story, and if you hated Kevorkian then you will not see him any differently. However, this film is insightful enough to be one of the finest films of 2010, and it didn't even make it to the cinemas. That's a heck of a shame.

I have always had a rough past with Al Pacino. In all honesty, he has had a rough career over the last few years. However, Jack Kevorkian is one of his best characters in years. Pacino works to the best of his ability and mysteriously pulls off something that could easily be called one of the most surprising if not best performances of the year. This really is a shocker, since I didn't expect that Pacino could pull it off quite like this. But it's the surprises that hit you the hardest, and in this case, hitting the viewer hard it a good thing. "You Don't Know Jack" also co-stars Danny Huston, John Goodman, Susan Sarandon, and Brenda Vaccaro. Everyone seems to work together well, and overall this is good enough proof that HBO is the channel to go to if you want to see real actors perform in real films.

It's somewhat of a shocker that "You Don't Know Jack" can strike an emotional cord. This drama has a sentimental side given the subject matter, and everything is handled nicely. There were some moments that the film could have done without, but otherwise it was pure brilliance. Kevorkian is somewhat of an endearing character in this film, which was probably intended but most of the time wouldn't have been. I say this because most films want you to despise the guy creating the controversy. "You Don't Know Jack" forces us, whether we like it or not, to follow Jack on he exploits and rise to infamous glory. He has his days of heaven, and he embraces them. However, he knows that in the end he will face legal action. Why must daring men endure such a thing? Perhaps it is because this is the price one pays for being risky. Kevorkian was willing to pay the price fully, as long as it didn't involve any real money. Aside from being dramatic, "You Don't Know Jack" looks mighty fine. The cinematography is great, and the picture quality is as good as an HBO-produced film should be. The music is also quite good, and it proves furthermore that HBO films are the best made-for-TV films, period. "You Don't Know Jack" interested me throughout, and I recommend it to anyone who is open to the insight that it provides. After all, it's just a biopic. What's the worst that it could do?

In all honesty, I really found myself enjoying "You Don't Know Jack". I am not overly familiar with the life of Jack Kevorkian, but that does not mean that this film lacks the ability to do him justice. In fact, this film DOES do the man justice and a hell of a lot of it too. This is the best biopic Kevorkian will ever get, given the high amount of emotional resonance and power that it contains. It also contains moments of tense court-room drama, and manages to entertain the audience throughout. One could even call it riveting. It works on so many levels, it really does. If you haven't heard of it, then I recommend that you see it. If you have, then good for you: we can officially converse. I am interested to see what others think of this feature. I would also be interested in seeing what those who don't favor it think. I must know both sides of the story, after all. Look where Jack ended up due to our lack of action in doing so. Perhaps it we can understand each-other, we can defy all things such as religion and law and focus solely on what is right; even if right equals different. To Jack, it does equal different. He went out of his way to promote what he thought was right, and he shocked a nation. Think about it; we would do it too if we had to. We can sympathize for the man; in the film at least. And if the film is a solid replica of Jack, then I would have been in favor of him in reality as well. Assisted suicide is no sin. Most "sins" aren't. They are merely misunderstood actions which most people aren't in favor of, and assisted suicide is a misunderstood thing. However, I walked away from this film not knowing what to think of such a concept. I have never taken part of it. Perhaps I never will. But I do not see it as wrong. After all, people have a right to die. And I respect people.