I will start off by saying the only reason why I watched this movie is because I wanted too see a teenage Linda Blair, who still hadn't digressed to the cheap schlock of later years. On one hand you could say it is a disappointment that she didn't take on projects with more substance... But when you see a movie like this with so much squandered, it is easy to see why some actors stop caring.
As to the stageyness of the plot, the movie opens with Martin Sheen escaping from a mental asylum of sorts by hiding in a laundry basket. (wow... these clothes sure are heavy today...) It comes off as half convincing but the more you think about it the more you just wanna press the stop button instantly. That Being said... the whole movie is geared towards Linda Blair being soon held hostage by Sheen... But FIRST... he needs a car obviously... which he obtains by walking in someones unlocked door and grabbing the car keys laying on the coffee table. Not stupid enough for you? DO what Michael Moore did and go door to door to try that one. Anyhow.. now he has a car.... and soon he obtains some cash "unexplained to the viewer" and has been hiding out at an abandoned cabin that he stumbled upon, near a small country town where he stalks up on supplies. These 2 points are half plausible I suppose, as everything is with the less explanation given possible, in the hands of a mediocre director. At least now I know who can hook me up with an abandoned cabin, a deranged escaped mental patient, that's who. Cause honestly who wouldn't enjoy a nice vacation house?
As of now, Linda Blair is driving "oh no, my car broke down. Ooo someone has come to help me.... Oh no hes an escaped mental patient." ......as often happens. Fix your cars and your children would have no way of being abducted... like while WALKING. THAT would have been much better and not seem staged as it was here, but what do I know, I didn't go to director school or anything. I'm just a jackass who watches the news occasionally... Anyhow, now shes abducted but she cannot escape, because he dug HOLES around the cabin..... Forget about the roads that lead in and out... And when he leaves, he ties her only by her hands and feet with the door open.... leaving an axe nearby. What could go wrong? Bottom line.... he did not show enough forcefulness in bringing her with him, and she did not show enough resistance.
The only asset that largely eclipses the pathetic plot development is the acting from both main characters. Admitedly I never liked Martin Sheen, but that was likely because the first time i saw him was in "SPAWN" as "Jason Wynn", a horrible misscast. Here he pulls off one of the maddest characters as convincingly as possible, though the many fake voices do become irritating before long. Bottom line; you can't decide whether hes merely extremely eccentric or "totally mad", and the character is thus elevated to being believable amongst the many failed lunatics in cinema, thus saving the film. Martin Sheen's character is virtually a sexless near identical version of Peter Sellers as Clare Quilty in "Lolita", meaning that yes there is no nudity and nothing sexual in this film, being loosely explained with the suggestion that Sheen's character had repressed sexual problems growing up, though his empty excuse; "people place too much importance on sex" basically comes off as; "yeah...i kidnapped you... but we wont have sex because.... its socially unacceptable..." So why did he kidnap her? He wanted some sort of PRODIGY... OK fine we can live with that...
The growing bond and the chemistry between the 2 main characters is well developed and well acted through the dialogue, and it seems very much like they both worked on the script themselves to some degree. The scene with Linda Blair reading her poem to Sheen, followed by his reaction is amazingly touching and almost borough me to tears. As a reference, I am one who willfully seeks out movies containing rape and brutal violence and watches them as casually as eating an apple, but the sappy stuff does it for me too, and Sheens reaction to the poem proves how great an actor he is.
The movie essentially RESTS upon this scene which i find to be a greater movie climax than when it is soon spoiled by another hokey plot sequence where a passing helicopter SEES them, (Gotta watch out for those nosey helicopters) and hours later a huge arsenal of police are there and start shooting at the cabin "knowing that he abducted Blair, a resident of the nearby town, though apparently not caring if they kill her in the process of killing him." Maybe in the south once you've been abducted you're better off dead, I don't know the local customs.
What we're left with is an extremely stupid storyline worth only seeing if you're able to overlook such things and focus on the excellent chemistry development between Blair and Sheen. If however you're looking to see Linda Blair in teeny form, and a decent movie worth hanging onto, search for "born innocent" where she DOES get raped, and the director holds few punches in a situation where sex would be MUCH less expected than in this film.
As to the stageyness of the plot, the movie opens with Martin Sheen escaping from a mental asylum of sorts by hiding in a laundry basket. (wow... these clothes sure are heavy today...) It comes off as half convincing but the more you think about it the more you just wanna press the stop button instantly. That Being said... the whole movie is geared towards Linda Blair being soon held hostage by Sheen... But FIRST... he needs a car obviously... which he obtains by walking in someones unlocked door and grabbing the car keys laying on the coffee table. Not stupid enough for you? DO what Michael Moore did and go door to door to try that one. Anyhow.. now he has a car.... and soon he obtains some cash "unexplained to the viewer" and has been hiding out at an abandoned cabin that he stumbled upon, near a small country town where he stalks up on supplies. These 2 points are half plausible I suppose, as everything is with the less explanation given possible, in the hands of a mediocre director. At least now I know who can hook me up with an abandoned cabin, a deranged escaped mental patient, that's who. Cause honestly who wouldn't enjoy a nice vacation house?
As of now, Linda Blair is driving "oh no, my car broke down. Ooo someone has come to help me.... Oh no hes an escaped mental patient." ......as often happens. Fix your cars and your children would have no way of being abducted... like while WALKING. THAT would have been much better and not seem staged as it was here, but what do I know, I didn't go to director school or anything. I'm just a jackass who watches the news occasionally... Anyhow, now shes abducted but she cannot escape, because he dug HOLES around the cabin..... Forget about the roads that lead in and out... And when he leaves, he ties her only by her hands and feet with the door open.... leaving an axe nearby. What could go wrong? Bottom line.... he did not show enough forcefulness in bringing her with him, and she did not show enough resistance.
The only asset that largely eclipses the pathetic plot development is the acting from both main characters. Admitedly I never liked Martin Sheen, but that was likely because the first time i saw him was in "SPAWN" as "Jason Wynn", a horrible misscast. Here he pulls off one of the maddest characters as convincingly as possible, though the many fake voices do become irritating before long. Bottom line; you can't decide whether hes merely extremely eccentric or "totally mad", and the character is thus elevated to being believable amongst the many failed lunatics in cinema, thus saving the film. Martin Sheen's character is virtually a sexless near identical version of Peter Sellers as Clare Quilty in "Lolita", meaning that yes there is no nudity and nothing sexual in this film, being loosely explained with the suggestion that Sheen's character had repressed sexual problems growing up, though his empty excuse; "people place too much importance on sex" basically comes off as; "yeah...i kidnapped you... but we wont have sex because.... its socially unacceptable..." So why did he kidnap her? He wanted some sort of PRODIGY... OK fine we can live with that...
The growing bond and the chemistry between the 2 main characters is well developed and well acted through the dialogue, and it seems very much like they both worked on the script themselves to some degree. The scene with Linda Blair reading her poem to Sheen, followed by his reaction is amazingly touching and almost borough me to tears. As a reference, I am one who willfully seeks out movies containing rape and brutal violence and watches them as casually as eating an apple, but the sappy stuff does it for me too, and Sheens reaction to the poem proves how great an actor he is.
The movie essentially RESTS upon this scene which i find to be a greater movie climax than when it is soon spoiled by another hokey plot sequence where a passing helicopter SEES them, (Gotta watch out for those nosey helicopters) and hours later a huge arsenal of police are there and start shooting at the cabin "knowing that he abducted Blair, a resident of the nearby town, though apparently not caring if they kill her in the process of killing him." Maybe in the south once you've been abducted you're better off dead, I don't know the local customs.
What we're left with is an extremely stupid storyline worth only seeing if you're able to overlook such things and focus on the excellent chemistry development between Blair and Sheen. If however you're looking to see Linda Blair in teeny form, and a decent movie worth hanging onto, search for "born innocent" where she DOES get raped, and the director holds few punches in a situation where sex would be MUCH less expected than in this film.