Final
His Reality Was Full Of Delusions, Until He Realized His Delusions Were The Reality.
When Bill (Denis Leary) wakes up in the psychiatric wing at Sumner Hospital, he has trouble distinguishing his dreams from reality. He is quite certain of his sanity, but memories of being cryogenically frozen, tissue regeneration experiments and talk of a final lethal injection race through his mind.
With the help of Ann (Hope Davis), the psychiatrist assigned to his case, he struggles to piece his memories together, while newer, more "rational" memories flood his mind. Struggling with his paranoia, Bill begins to question Ann's motives. Can he trust the only person in the position to help him or will she be the one holding the needle that does him in?
Member Reviews
That's Final! - CaptainAverage
Final is a quietly twisted lttle film about a man [Denis Leary] who believes he's been awakened five hundred years after being put into cryogenic sleep - and that he's going to be executed for some unknown reason.
As he fulfills required time with a psychotherapist [Hope Davis], we are asked to decide for ourselves if he really is from the past, or just plain crazy.
Directed by Campbell Scott with a deft touch, Final moves at a deliberate pace to unexpected revelations and motivations.
Smart and suspenseful. Leary and David are extremely good and Scott uses them well.Independant showcase - JAZA
Final provides a great movie-watching experience when considering it as an experiement - a self challenge by director and producer to film a compelling story on a shoestring budget, and an attempt to show what you can do with great performers to showcase what no special effects will.
Waking up in a hospital room (where most of the movie takes place), Billy Stark can't seem to decide if he's dillusional, paranoid, or on his way to death row. His only beacon towards sanity and truth is a mild-mannered therapist, whose relation with her patient becomes too close for comfort, and slowly reveal that the insane man might not be so insane after all.
The one thing that works against the movie is what it tries to achieve; showing that a no-budget film can effectively thread on Kafkaesque territory as well as science-fiction. Pacing and intensity would be better achieved if it restrained itself to one of the two, as the shift from one to another two-thirds into the story feels like a let-down instead of a real dramatic twist.
It does however rely (and with reason) on a surprisingly rich and nuanced performance by the usually-pissy Dennis Leary, whose journey to the inevitable whisks the viewer along with great interest. Even more surprising is the improbable yet strong chemistry with his co-star Hope Davis, whose un-excentricity of character plays wonderfully against Leary's souped-up testosterone.
The two thespians' strong performance is all the more impressive when given limited locations and absolutely no visual effects, as they manage to paint the world they live in livid and tangible colors.
Definitely recommended for Leary fans to rediscover the man in a new light, and for afficionados of pshycological, no F/X Sci-Fi the likes of "Cube" or "12 Monkeys".Final - exackery
No hollywood big buck action bullcrap here, just an interesting little (independent?) film. I liked it--> no I don't want to see it again but I did like it. It was interesting--> basically just dialogue but very compelling nonetheless. Wow, Denis Leary sure stepped away from his norm and did an admirable job. I think a movie like this demands a certain type of audience.How can I put this? OK here goes--> Can you sit through "Remains of the Day" ? The whole thing? And yet still somehow like it ? No --> skip this film. Yes -->you should rent this just so you can say you saw it. I won't rent it again but it didn't hurt watching it once
Member Reviews
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That's Final! - CaptainAverage
Final is a quietly twisted lttle film about a man [Denis Leary] who believes he's been awakened five hundred years after being put into cryogenic sleep - and that he's going to be executed for some unknown reason.
As he fulfills required time with a ...Independant showcase - JAZA
Final provides a great movie-watching experience when considering it as an experiement - a self challenge by director and producer to film a compelling story on a shoestring budget, and an attempt to show what you can do with great performers to showcase what ...Final - exackery
No hollywood big buck action bullcrap here, just an interesting little (independent?) film. I liked it--> no I don't want to see it again but I did like it. It was interesting--> basically just dialogue but very compelling nonetheless. Wow, Denis Leary sure ...