36/48
Based on the novel “Foregone”; by Russell Banks
Leonard Fife, one of the sixty thousand draft dodgers and deserters who fled to Canada to avoid serving in Vietnam, shares all his secrets to demystify his mythologized life.. This is the second time Paul Schrader has directed one of Banks’ films.
novels for the screen, following the adaptation of Affliction (1997)
Featured on Film Junk Podcast: Episode 961: In a Violent Nature + TIFF 2024 (2024). With such a great cast of actors like Richard Gere, Uma Thurman, and Michael Imperioli, you’d think you’d have the star power to create a better film than this.
Well, you’d be wrong
Paul Schrader goes “experimental”; in a film that looks like something a first-year film student would make. Schrader claims to have been friends with the war protester/filmmaker whose life story this film is based on, but who needs enemies like that?
In other words, he becomes exactly what Paul Schrader is today
Richard Gere’s character becomes increasingly unpleasant and gradually loses his ability to express himself in words as he rages at everyone around him, muttering as he descends into darkness. Do yourself a favor and skip this one, even on streaming, I can’t imagine it would be better if you could just cut it off and leave the room to do more important things than watch this sad excuse of a movie.
