Fri., Sep. 30, 2005 12:00 AM PDT
Roman Polanski has abandoned psychosexual drama and Holocaust memories to delve into the dirty streets of Charles Dickens' London for his newest exploration. Oliver Twist (one of Chuck D's most poignant stories) follows a grubby-faced, spunky orphan boy who holds on to his optimism despite crippling poverty and the manipulations of a petty underworld.
It makes sense that Polanski, who escaped a Polish ghetto as a child and was forced to make his own way through a bitter war, would find affinity with Oliver--and he executes an oft-told tale with his usual dedication to perfection. The problem here, however, is exactly that perfection. Polanski is so true to the tale that he neglects to add much of his own touch, other than precise, clean direction and a knack of getting powerful performances out of his actors. The result is
Twist without a twist: enjoyable but not remarkable filmmaking.
0 Comments
Now loading...