One Hour Photo (2002)

Whoa. I mean, I actually felt uncomfortable watching this. I kept fidgeting! The whole premise and the realism of it just affected me greatly. This isn't just a typical psychological thriller where a crazy guy goes crazy and does crazy things. This is an intelligent study of a character who's loneliness and solitude has driven him to stalking a family. A photograph printer who sees into the lives of those that are within these pictures, he is able to imagine himself being in them. He clearly narrates that photographs are always taken on happy occasions, and never on the events that we wish to forget. I found that to be rather poignant. All he ever desired was to be loved or wanted, and yet he just existed. His days are just routines, his life being lived in the clinical colours of beige. So very monotonous. Another great narration was the etymology of the word "snapshot" which he said was a hunting term. A guy, with a camera, taking snapshots, of children. Powerful, absolutely compelling. Robin Williams yet again proved he was able to steer away from his typecast comedic roles and endeavour in more psychologically challenging performances. He was outstanding. The supporting cast were fine but Williams owned this whole film. Creepy yet with an undertone of melancholia. You can see how the screenplay manages to convince the audience that his mental state is of depression. We don't hate him, we actually sympathise instead. So many terrifying scenes, not in terms of horror but how realistically possible these scenarios are. Your child talking to a stranger and buying them gifts. A stranger waiting outside your house everyday. These stalker-like behaviour traits is ever so apparent in the current world. That's what makes this film so powerful. Realism. I wish we could've explored Sy "the photo guy's" past, I'm sure it would've been fascinating. It may not be a blockbuster thriller, but this little gem is one of Robin Williams' best performances.

I remember enjoying this movie when it first came out fifteen years ago, mainly because Connie Nielsen was so sensationally sexy and because it was fun to see smarmy Robin Williams take a turn as a crazed stalker. But when I bought the DVD from Amazon the other day for about two dollars, I was disappointed by a lot of flaws I didn't notice in the theater.The visuals in this movie are really irritating. Every single store, home, and interior looks like it's a vacuum, a space station laboratory under bright lights where not even a microbe could survive. Is this supposed to mean something? To me it meant the whole story was fake.It really irritated me that, as other reviewers have pointed out, all the photos are perfectly staged and arranged even though the tiny family clearly wouldn't have time to take them and then happily jump into the picture. It was even more aggravating when the young husband was cheating on the sly. Why on earth would anyone cheat on Connie Nielsen? And why would this boring, nothing guy and his secret girl (a scrumptious Erin Daniels, completely wasted in a thankless part) have dozens and dozens of photos documenting every kiss? Robin Williams plays a guy who is timid, shy, and not at all hip to the street. But all of a sudden he's like J.J. Gittes in CHINATOWN, a sleuth who can trail the bad guys all over town and surprise them wherever they try to hide! Also, how did a pitiful clown in a box store earn enough money for that huge apartment with expensive lighting? But the real flaw in this movie is the hidden subtext, the prudery and the sexual repression. Ultimately, Sy the Photo Guy is a surrogate for the Catholic Church, legislating sexual desire while boiling over with uncontrollable appetites himself. The way he takes vengeance at the end reflects not so much a horror at immorality as a disgust with the human body itself. The writer/director is from Chicago, and evidently he's some kind of blue-collar ethnic Catholic with a primitive horror of adult sexuality. This movie really has more in common with STUDS LONIGAN than CHINATOWN. And I don't mean that as a compliment!

Whilst my only complaint is that it starts off a bit slow, One Hour Photo becomes a fast paced thriller which pitches you on the edge of your seat. The thing I love about this film is that it never reveals to much at one time. The ending is explosive and all the little bits in between are fantastic. Robin Williams' acing is phenomenal, whilst (just like the perfect photo) the filming is also above par, capturing all the scenes in beautiful glory.I can't believe I waited so long to see this. A truly underrated gem and a great thriller. It's also very original, with no film before or after imitating what you watch.

One Hour Photo (2002): Dir: Mark Romanef / Cast: Robin Williams, Connie Nielsen, Michael Vartan. Gary Cole, Eriq La Salle: Photographs capture time and memories but it only takes a short time for those moments to be invaded. Robin Williams plays photo clerk Sy Parrish who narrates the film giving viewers a bit of history on the word "snap-shot" as a hunting term. He makes extra prints and imagines himself amongst them as uncle Sy while plastering his apartment walls with photographs. He also knows that the husband id having an affair because he examined the photographs. He is an intruder who hides his knowledge behind a friendly smile. Great setup with analysis of his work and home life leading to a powerful ending. Director Mark Romanek graces the film with shots that suggest invasion of the mind. Powerful performance by Williams whose profession is both his doorway to acceptance and his reality to consequence and instability. Connie Nielsen is also strong as the mother whose romantic void is obvious when Williams knows what she doesn't. Michael Vartan as her husband needed more depth but he receives his regret in the most deliberate fashion. Gary Cole plays Williams's boss who pushes him to the limits. Eriq La Salle is superb as a detective whose final scene brings proper resolution and understanding. Loneliness is something nobody wishes to capture on film. Score: 9 / 10