The January Man (1989)

the audience applauded

Highly Overrated But Still Good

The acting in this movie is really good.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

At film's beginning Alison Hawkins (Faye Grant) and friend Bernadette Flynn (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) carouse during the New Year's Eve celebration (there is an undertone of lesbianism). After Alison is dropped off in her NY apartment, she is strangled by a maniac who managed to enter her residence. The newspapers scream that she is the eleventh victim. Mayor Eamon Flynn (Rod Steiger), orders police commissioner Frank Starkey (Harvey Keitel) to get his brother Nick (Kevin Kline) back on the police force to solve the crime. Nick, who is a little quirky, is a fireman, but when he was a cop he excelled in special investigation. Years earlier he was removed from the force for a graft scandal, but actually took a bribery hit for Frank. He agrees to return to the force. Police captain Vincent Alcoa (Danny Aiello), though, is not amused to see Nick return. Nevertheless, after a shouting match with the bellicose mayor, he is forced to concede. Brothers Frank and Nick do not get along well. Before Frank married Christine (Susan Sarandon), she was Nick's girlfriend. Like the mayor and police chief, they argue. Nick soon becomes romantically involved with the mayor's daughter, Bernadette Flynn. At work the unorthodox Nick, who has a penchant for solving difficult situations, begins to put pieces together. Helping him investigate the case is his friend and neighbor, Ed (Alan Rickman). Ed, who paints nudes, is a computer guru who helps analyze when the murderer is going to strike next. Nick had already known that the strangler is clever and knows how to pick locks. Nick assembles the dates of the murders on his computer screen and then begins to analyze incredibly complex clues. He asks a fellow policeman what a prime number is. When the cop cannot answer Nick responds, "Any number that can only be divided by one and itself." He might have added, "without leaving a remainder" (above 2 the prime numbers are obviously odd). Nick, figuring out the days of the murders, is quite certain that the date of the next murder will be the fifth of January (the killer strikes monthly). Looking at the arrangement of the building locations of the various murders, Nick figures the constellation sign Virgo to locate the actual building (the killer strikes only at high rises). The strangler must be a computer whiz. The musical notes of Neil Sedaka's old song "Calendar Girl" play into it. Then Nick figures the actual apartment. A trap is set. The movie, produced by Norman Jewison, and directed by Pat O'Connor, doesn't really work as a crime-erotic/romance-comedy. For one thing, inserting slapstick comedy elements into the denouement is ridiculous because the situation is supposed to be serious. Then there is the casting. Now these are all accomplished actors, but they are done in by the uneven mood and convoluted script by John Patrick Shanley, which leaves some questions unanswered (like the scandal). Keitel often frowns while Steiger often yells. Steiger overacts in his screaming confrontation with Aiello. Kevin Kline and Harvey Keitel are not especially convincing as brothers. Furthermore, they are like a Mutt and Jeff pair with Kline (6'2") towering over Keitel (5'7"). Ms. Mastrantonio, a handsome woman, looks nothing like a Flynn. Her performance is worthy, though, as is that of Alan Rickman. There is just a slight resonance of mystery. The killer's identity is merely a backdrop ("He's a nobody.") while Kline's ingenious solution is implausible. The veteran actors and plot will generate some interest, although the New York City locations are not really used to good advantage except for the large apartment buildings necessary to make the situations work.

This movie is not a typical "mystery thriller," at least not in the usual sense of the genre. The characters unravel intriguingly but very fluidly, and it is easy to relate to almost all of them (I bet we can all think of parallels in our own lives.) Theme-wise it is ostensibly presented as a suspense movie where an ex-cop (Kevin Kline) is re-instated into a homicide detective role to solve a brutal murder spree by a NY psychopath. There is an interesting subplot of unrequited romance between Kline's character and his brother's (who is commissioner of police) wife. Kline's artist friend, his new girl friend (the Mayor's daughter), and in fact the Mayor himself, are all amusing characters. But Kline is clearly the pivot of the movie, he turned what many might consider a very below standard screenplay and turned it into a very keepable film.The first hour though really doesn't know what it wants to be. A murder, family drama, random eroticism, serial killer movie, comedy, thriller. It's all here and all flawed. Aiello has never been so typecast in a film, whenever he's on screen, he's just angry. Keitel just seem bemused by the whole thing and spends the majority of it staring at Sarandon, who I turn spends the majority of the film staring at Kline and stalking him. The rest of the cast are thankfully brilliant. Kline is as good as always, and is ably supported by Mastrantonnio, and another brilliant turn by Rickman. The film comes into its own when the Red Herring gets thrown in. The comedy and thriller aspect of the film meld into one and work, and it turns into a half decent movie.Overall rating: 6 out of 10.

"The January Man" is a complete dud, but it features some talented actors led by Kevin Kline - good enough to pull it away from complete turkey-dom. Director Pat O Connor has really blown it with trying to mix genres here. Is it drama; is it thriller; is it comedy? Well really it does none of these genres well at all. It's schizophrenic is what it is. At it's worst you have awful 80s Gong show-bad thriller synthesizer music blasting in like lasers announcing "tense atmosphere" - total cheese. Kevin Kline is a great actor full of charisma, and Steiger and Aiello are full fledge in support. Well underplayed and along for the ride is Alan Rickman in a more-or-less bit part for fun. Unfortunately the romances are fairly standard although Mastrantonio does OK, but Surandon mails it in pretty much - or maybe it's poor direction. By the end of the movie, you'll be glad the mess is over and the killer is an afterthought. Pointless and unfortunately run-of-mill.

Basically this film couldn't get out of its own way. The screenplay wasn't anywhere near as tight as the genre requires. It has a very "TV" feel to it. I couldn't help feeling certain scenes needed to be cut and the information contained in them shown a different way. I liked Rod Steiger screaming and threatening his way through the movie. It provided contrast to the placid and implausible faux-cop dialogue they cobbled together. Whoever wrote this script _does not_ know cops. I guess they figured having a gunless, New York maverick detective who does things the "feng shui" way was somehow hip. Investigation work is plodding and requires a lot of phone calls, evidence, and leads. You deal with a lot of liars and people who hate cops. That's why cops are like brothers because you have to be down for each other to stay sane, if not safe. Most gum-shoe stories convey this sentiment to some degree. Nick just sits back and gets "a ha!" moments and figures out the whole thing with these improbable crime scene and victim photographs (That, BTW, the art department really let the director down on creating - But they did a great job on the snaps found in the book at Nick's apartment). I didn't buy into the romance angles they tried to play, mainly because nothing led up to them other than some lonely writer's fantasy of how he wishes women were. An ex-girlfriend coming "back to her ex's place" for a home-cooked meal for no apparent reason? And then some "23 year old" (really? she looks 30!) gets into bed with Kevin Kline merely on his say so? Well... okay maybe that's not so improbable. And he's got this phony angst like he's too old for her? PUH-LEEZE! Since when has Hollywood (or any man) not been fine with 23 year olds in bed with 40 year olds? The whole thing is a study in how actors can only do so much. C'mon: Danny Aiello (Oscar nom./Gold Globe nom.), Kevin Kline (Oscar winner, Gold Globe Nom.); freakin' Alan Rickman (Golden Globe win, BAFTA win)and Harvey Keitel (Oscar Win, Globe nom.)is in it, how'd they screw the pooch so bad? Watch it on TV if it shows up some night. MST3K fodder, especially in the 3rd act's fight scene. Craptacular!