It's the Rage (NR) No Rating

Several gun-related dramas misfire in the same dull movie.

Story

Keith Reddin's script, based on his stage play, weaves together separate storylines in the manner of Robert Altman and Paul Thomas Anderson. A woman (Joan Allen) leaves her murder suspect husband (Jeff Daniels) to work as the personal assistant to an eccentric computer genius (Gary Sinise). The latter's gay lawyer (Andre Braugher) tries sleeping with a trashy underage girl (Anna Paquin) who likes to have her psychotic brother (Giovanni Ribisi) attack people. A friendly video store clerk (Josh Brolin) who used to work for the computer genius falls for the underage girl. And so on.

Acting

The talky, dramatically inert screenplay mostly defeats the efforts of even the film's best actors to generate any sparks. Of the whole bunch, Allen and Sinise come closest to making a go of it when an unlikely romance develops between their characters. Brolin and Ribisi manage a few surprising moments with their lively performances. David Schwimmer's self-conscious work as the lawyer's tragic lover is the least convincing.

Direction

Theater and indie film producer James D. Stern, debuting as a director, devotes most of his screen time to characters sitting around engaging in the kind of artificial, self-revelatory banter that doesn't translate well to film. The real mystery is what attracted the high-powered cast to such weak material in the first place.

Bottom Line

The most notable rage here is the kind moviegoers might fly into after paying to see this dud.

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Starring Joan Allen, Jeff Daniels, Gary Sinise, David Schwimmer and Anna Paquin.

Directed by James D. Stern. Produced by James D. Stern, Peter Gilbert, Ash R. Shah, Anne McCarthy and Mary Vernieu. Screenplay by Keith Reddin. Released by Silver Nitrate.