Death and the Compass (1992)

Oh dear. I watched this one a week ago, and although there's no way it can be described as bland or unmemorable – although probably for all the wrong reasons – there's little about this adaptation of Borges' novel by Alex Cox that impressed me enough to make a lasting impression. Cox's style has always been… quirky, shall we say – and sometimes he's very good, but this one is an almighty mess that is only partly salvaged by Cox's customarily strong visual style. The story sprawls like spilled liquid with no confines to contain it. The acting borders on amateur dramatic level at times – which is unremarkable in a lot of cases, but not from the likes of Boyle and Eccleston – and the script is like something out of a DC comic book. Definitely a Marmite movie by the looks of it.

Brilliant and diligent, but quirky and unorthodox detective Erik Lonnrot (splendidly played by the late, great Peter Boyle) investigates a bizarre series of murders in a bleak and chaotic futuristic city run by a strict totalitarian government. Lonnrot uncovers a complex occult conspiracy which places him in considerable peril. Writer/director Alex ("Repo Man") Cox relates the involving, intricate and elliptical narrative with remarkably bracing'n'bravura flashy, lively and insanely stylized aplomb, bringing a real sense of potent urgency, a playfully nutty tongue-in-cheek sensibility, and a ceaseless rapid-fire breakneck momentum to the fascinatingly eccentric story. Miguel Garzon's agile, prowling, restless cinematography makes especially adroit and exciting use of lengthy unedited takes. Pray for Rain's wonky and strikingly unique, yet catchy and rousing oddball score constitutes as another significant asset. The occasional fractured jump cuts are likewise quite effective and impressive. Boyle excels in a rare juicy and substantial lead, receiving bang-up support from Christopher Eccleston as an atheist religious expert and Miguel Sandoval as Lonnrot's loyal, sympathetic superior. The jolting surprise twist ending packs one hell of a startling punch. But what truly makes this film such a joy to watch is the feverishly hyperactive wealth of infectiously funky creativity and fiercely idiosyncratic originality evident throughout. A terrifically offbeat and inspired one-of-a-kind treat.

This wilfully bizarre adaptation of Borges short story is typical Cox. His strong visual sense is, as usual, undone by the appalling half baked acting of most of the cast. The film is definitely in the surreal tradition of Bunuel's Mexican period, and looks at times like a poor man's take on Lars Von Trier's Elements of Crime. Cox's apparent preference for single takes, jump cuts, and ambient sound recording all work against the film's effectiveness. Worth a look but ultimately disappointing.

I had read a review of this film probably five or six years ago, but had never been able to find it anywhere and wondered if I ever would. I happened to catch it on cable last night by accident. I'm a huge fan of Borges and think this particular story is a masterpiece that equals Poe's greatest work in terms of pure intellectual force, profundity, and use of language and references. This movie version is fairly surreal and self-consciously stylized and does add a lot of details not in the story. But after about 10 minutes or so I started getting into this interpretation and thought that overall it was very clever and artful. Peter Boyle was an interesting (weird?) choice as Lonrott, and I thought Christopher Eccleston was excellent as Red Scharlach (including the sound effects for his voice). Most importantly, I thought this movie did capture the obliterating sense of the infinite that staggers me every time I read the story.