Kalifornia (1993)

"Early Grayce" in "Kalifornia" is actually the best Brad Pitt performance to date. To mention Tyler Dyrden is just to get more attention nothing more.Directed by then music video director Sena, KALIFORNIA not only features some of the most memorable lines around ("the amount of times Pitt says, "dips%it" is great), but has a cast that just sucks you right in. We've got our protagonists, Brian Kessler and Carrie Laughlin (A hypnotic pairing of X-FILES star David Duchovny and TRUE BLOOD's Michelle Forbes), a true crime writer and his photographer girlfriend looking to find out why serial killers do the things they do by planning a cross country trip across the United States in order to visit the scenes of said tragedies and turn them into a literary and visual coffee table book of carnage. That alone is worth checking the film out, but what elevates a gritty look at death and nature vs. nurture into a whole other atmosphere, is the film's antagonist, Early Grayce (a pare-LEGENDS OF THE FALL/INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE stardom era Brad Pitt) and his absent minded girlfriend Adele. Grayce is the opposite of Brian, while Kessler hangs with pretentious art-types and lives in an artists' loft, Early and Adele spend their days in a dirty trailer, dodging both their landlord and Grayce's parole officer. It's a very interesting juxtaposition to see, the four characters and two couples' differences couldn't be any more different from each other.When Brian asks, "How many people have you killed, Early? Early replies, "Well, now, how many people have you seen me kill? And when Brian utters, "None," the reply he gets from Early is, "That's how many I killed."The majority of the film happens out and about, as the essayist and picture taker progressively get to be distinctly mindful of the way of the general population who are sharing the ride. It is here that the film uncovers its significance. A lesser film would basically be a thriller in which the heroes would frantically plan to escape from the executioners in their auto. "Kalifornia" is substantially more unpretentious than that. It's about the interesting interest that a few people feel for the individuals who appear to be harder and that's only the tip of the iceberg "real." Usually the individuals who romanticise in that way have never needed to manage any individual who harms others only for the diversion esteem. The obsession with all things serial killer can be trailed back decades and decades from the fascination with the notorious Manson murders to even the Black Dahlia murder years before. It's a mystery deeply rooted in a lot of us wanderers. "Why do people kill and what enjoyment do they receive from it?" isn't a new question and it's a question and theme that has filled many movies throughout the years.Though I can be found drooling over the magnificence of David Fincher's ZODIAC or reading a barrage of James Ellroy or Jim Thompson novels to pass my dark curiosity, the 1993 Dominic Sena- helm-ed 'KALIFORNIA' is one piece of cinema that always fills that void of serial killer mystique, giving viewers a look at obsession with murder and an interesting answer to the question of "why do people kill?"Fear never travels alone.

This interesting serial killer tale offers us a fascinating glimpse into the mind of such a killer, but unfortunately destroys impact by relying too much on clichés and the conventions of film-making. However as one of its type it's not half bad, with plenty of murders and mayhem to keep one's mind off the occasionally over the top piece of acting. The film is essentially a modern day variant of Bonnie and Clyde, with the four stars travelling across America and Pitt dispatching anyone and everyone who crosses him in any way. At least this is an excuse for some nice scenery, as it's a road movie there are plenty of shots of winding roads, deserts, and blowing tumbleweeds.The acting is generally good in this film, with Pitt giving perhaps the best performance of his career (at least I prefer his performance in this to the ones in SEVEN and TWELVE MONKEYS). He's an out and out maniac, and yet nice and friendly too - he just kills people occasionally. Unfortunately at the end of the film Pitt goes way over the top into sheer mania, screaming, shouting, and killing everybody in his wake. Juliette Lewis gives the best performance of the film as his simple-minded love interest, who doesn't fully realise that he's a murderer (or doesn't want to realise); Lewis has the child-like mentality down to a tee. David Duchovny is the hero of the film, in a role which seems surprisingly similar to his Mulder in THE X-FILES. He even gets to walk around old warehouses with a torch. Michelle Forbes isn't bad as Duchovny's lover.There are lots of horrible deaths in this film, the worst being the first shown, where an old man is brutally murdered in a toilet. The film makes us care about the people being killed, shown best in a gas station sequence where a young assistant is shotgunned to death. It doesn't show Pitt in a bad light though - instead, it simply portrays his actions and lets us make up our minds about him. There are also some interesting things said about why serial killers do what they do, as Duchovny researches for his new book. All in all, KALIFORNIA is perhaps not the best of its type but it's a good attempt anyway.

This is the first movie that I have seen that Erbert has given four stars. He raves about how well this movie was made and how realistic the characters are. I wouldn't give it a score that high, but I do agree that the characters in this movie are really well done. Atlantic Video (my video store, excellent place for cheap videos, and they have a huge selection) labels this as an action, and others say that it is a thriller. I would consider this movie to be a psychological examination of people. It exposes us to the harsh reality of life and is far for falling into the category of mainstream Hollywood. I first heard of this movie when it was advertised in the Mercury Cinema, the old alternative cinema in Adelaide.My gripe is the character of Brian Kessler (David Duchovney). There is nothing wrong with the character itself, but it reminded me a lot of agent Mulder. The twist between Kessler and Mulder is that Kessler considers himself a psychologist but he is not. His ambition is to write a book on serial killers and why the do what they do. Kessler knows that he cannot learn about serial killers by sitting in a library so he decides to go to California with his girlfriend, Carrie Laughlin (Michelle Forbes) and on the way there visit the sights of famous serial killers to try and uncover why serial killers do what they do. Kessler realises at the end of the movie that he has absolutely no idea as to why they do what they do. After his experience with Early he realises that some people do things because they want to.This brings us to Early (Brad Pitt). Brad Pitt's portrayal of Early is brilliant. Upon seeing this one comes to the conclusion that Brad Pitt does know how to act. Beyond this is the character of Early. Kessler does not understand why Early is the way he is but it seems to me that Early just does not perceive anything beyond his own experience. He does not see that there are repercussions for his actions. Erbert says that Early is intelligent, but I disagree. Early does things on the spur of the moment and never plans his actions. He needs money so he kills a man with lots of money. He just doesn't care that he just killed somebody, and this comes from a man who has probably done it a lot before.Adele Corners (Juliette Lewis) is a very well developed character. She is a character that lives in a dream world and believes everything that is told her. She is a child that was thrust into adulthood quite violently. She does not want to grow up so she remains a child at heart. She has a preconceived idea about who Early is and she does not want to believe that he is anything else, even if she is confronted by it.Kalifornia is a movie about reality. It is two couples from different backgrounds who have come together and are influenced by each other. Brian slowly becomes influenced by Early while Adele becomes influenced by Carrie. We notice something when Adele enters the restaurant with her hair cut, and slowly she becomes to look more like Carrie. The only differences are the clothes. Carrie dresses very dark and wears trousers while Adele wear scanty dresses. This is a movie about the way people behave and how some people are just evil.

Why the K? I don't know, but then I don't really understand who the intended audience for this film is either. It's not extreme enough to appease fans of disturbing cinema, not cerebral or cool enough for art-house types, nor is it mainstream enough to appeal to the general public; it's there, treading a fine line between all three—frustrating, because Kalifornia has plenty of potential, and if director Dominic Sena had just chosen one definitive route to take, the film might have been a great addition to the serial killer genre instead of an average one.The plot explores several fascinating themes—class divide, the allure of danger and violence, psychotic behaviour and the complexities of the brain—but Sena's indecisive approach means that he only lightly addresses each issue, and often in a trite and predictable manner. A dreary narration from David Duchovny's obnoxious yuppie is intended to make events seem more profound, but only serves to make the film seem highly pretentious. Sena's glossy visuals give an 80s music video vibe (not that surprising given his previous work with Janet Jackson) which seriously jars with the content.Brad Pitt and Juliette Lewis' memorable performances ensure that the film isn't a total waste of time, both actors taking 'poor white trash' to a whole new (and sometimes hilarious) level, and there are one or two effectively shocking outbursts of violence, but this is an ultimately empty experience that says much less about its subject matter than it would have you believe.