Romulus (Samuel L. Jackson) lives in a cave in New York -- well, okay, a "rock enclosure". He's psychotic, but he's also a gifted composer who studied at Juilliard. Decked out in dreadlocks and equipped with a passionate growl, Romulus tells all who will listen - and some who don't want to - that the man who put him in his position in life lives at the top of one of the city's tallest buildings. Whether this man is a real person is never made clear, but Romulus's rage toward him certainly isn't. He also hallucinates that his late wife is giving him advice and what-for, and that there are things in his head that tell him what to do. Yes, by almost any standard, this guy's a little wacked in the head. On Valentine's Day, Romulus looks outside his cave and sees a young man frozen to death in a tree. The police, after investigating, determine that the man wasn't quite in his right state of mind (since he was hardly dressed for winter and had been seen running around in that attire); but Romulus is skeptical, since a friend of the dead man claims a famous local avant-garde artist, David Leppenraub, killed him. Romulus's estranged daughter is a precinct cop, but of course she won't listen to the ravings of anyone, even her dad. So he sets out to do his own detective work. This does make for an interesting movie, especially since Romulus's prowess at the piano makes a few appearances. But other than Romulus himself, this isn't much more than a standard detective story, one in which the 'detective' isn't even directly involved with the crime.
Jackson is the entire show here. Just like Jodie Foster in Nell, Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man, and even James Belushi in Homer and Eddie, a character with severe mental issues is the main focus. But unlike those other characters, Romulus actually uses his 'deficiencies' to help him solve the murder. It's not as if Jackson puts up a sign - "I am deranged, therefore I am turning in a magnificent performance". Too often, actors (not necessarily those named above) use a mental handicap as a crutch for their character. This really isn't the case with the gifted Jackson, who performs exceedingly well, giving a powerful, galvanizing performance. Each word is dripping with energy. Even if the character of Romulus wasn't intended to grip you by your conscience, Jackson's work would have done the trick. Usually, one can detach oneself from a movie, kind of watch it from afar, maybe even guessing ahead who the killer is. But Jackson's so good, you can't really do that. You become his pal, and you hope things turn out okay.
Jackson is the entire show here. Just like Jodie Foster in Nell, Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man, and even James Belushi in Homer and Eddie, a character with severe mental issues is the main focus. But unlike those other characters, Romulus actually uses his 'deficiencies' to help him solve the murder. It's not as if Jackson puts up a sign - "I am deranged, therefore I am turning in a magnificent performance". Too often, actors (not necessarily those named above) use a mental handicap as a crutch for their character. This really isn't the case with the gifted Jackson, who performs exceedingly well, giving a powerful, galvanizing performance. Each word is dripping with energy. Even if the character of Romulus wasn't intended to grip you by your conscience, Jackson's work would have done the trick. Usually, one can detach oneself from a movie, kind of watch it from afar, maybe even guessing ahead who the killer is. But Jackson's so good, you can't really do that. You become his pal, and you hope things turn out okay.