Monkey Law

This may be a case of kicking someone when he’s down, as Redacted is a total flop at the box office and reviews have been, shall we say, lackluster… but it was something that was picking at me since I read about the film’s plot. I don’t fault Brian De Palma for wanting to air his views in the medium of film — I feel that’s every artist’s right and indeed responsibility. But why would you do so by treading ground you went over eighteen years ago? It seems, I dunno, cheap. De Palma’s films usually entertain the crap out of me. However, he’s never been accused of being original. Masterful with a camera, yes, but thematically his movies play more like homage (to Hitchcock, to Antonioni, etc) than actual visions. Now he’s paying homage to himself. Weak.