Customer Reviews

Dark Harbor

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(20)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Dark Harbor features Alan Rickman as David Weinberg, Polly Walker as Alexis Chandler-Weinberg, and Norman Reedus as the Young Man.
I hate "reviews" that are nothing more than plot synopses, especially those that give away surprise endings or get the facts mangled, so I'll try to avoid that trap. Dark Harbor is a claustrophobic film about a stifling marriage and what happens when a drifter gets drawn into the story. Alan Rickman is multi-layered and superb, as usual, in the role of the frustrated husband. Polly Walker brings a nice mix of edginess and innocence to the young wife. But Norman Reedus does not do a thing for me as the drifter; he's a skanky cypher, and I can't imagine anyone risking it all to connect with this character.
That said, the film does an effective build of tension among the threesome, with some ambiguous scenes and dialogue. A highlight of the movie is the little speech about love that Rickman's character delivers near the end of the story. Another highlight, also near the end, is when Rickman's character strips naked and goes skinny dipping in the harbor. Not many actors are that brave, especially ones over 50.
This film is a must for Rickman fans, and a "maybe" for all others.

Stormy weather, mist and fog are ideal backdrops to the subtlestories so intricately interwoven in the adult drama, Dark Harbor.David and Alexis Weinberg, a wealthy couple from Boston, are hurrying to catch a ferry to their private island when they find a beaten young man on the side of the road. At the insistance of his wife, Weinberg agrees to help the man, beginning what would become a chain of passion, betrayal and murder that will keep you guessing from beginning to end!

"Dark Harbor" is filled with twists and subplots reminiscent of Hitchcock; the darkness of hidden truths and realities behind the veil of the Weinberg's marriage, will leave you breathless.

The plot has a powerful premise, but grows thin at times and I wondered just what was left on the cutting room floor that would have strengthened it ; perhaps more information about David and the boy would have satisifed me. Powerful performances by three exciting actors made up for some of those weakness.

Alan Rickman exposes a range of powerful emotions that will delight fans who wished to see him break out of sugary or manic roles. His after dinner speech with the boy is mesmerizingly tender, and deservedly earns him the title, "The Voice", while Norman Reedus is a force to be reckoned with, clearly focused on getting what he wants in the end. Polly Walker is strangely touching as the wife without a clue of the poison brewing within herself, her husband, and the man they're both attracted and repelled by.

The final ten minutes of the movie is both powerful and, to some, disturbing. But if you watch "Dark Harbor" with an open mind, you, too, will have to wonder what you would or wouldn't do for love. END

This is a dark, psychologically-driven film which draws you in, keeps you thinking, offers delicious twists, subtle hints, and surprising secrets, and is never what it seems, not even when you think you know all there is to know.

The plot has been well outlined in most of these reviews; sometimes perfectly, sometimes with too much information, and a few times by reviewers who apparently didn't even watch the complete film. Rather than rehashing the plot this review offers simple and hopefully clarifying suggestions.

If you are an Alan Rickman film, do not hesitate; BUY this DVD! Forget about worrying about his accent, savor looking forward to his nude scenes, but do NOT skip to the end of the movie to view them. You gamble on missing too much of Rickman's spellbinding performance if you skip even one minute of this small, but very effective film.

Previous viewers who saw the movie on VHS will be enlightened by watching it again on DVD. I have been a movie fan for more years than I want to say, but have now discovered that the nuances of many films have sometimes escaped me totally over those decades. If ever there was something to be learned from a commentary this is the film to prove it (along with 'South of Heaven, West of Hell'). Not that the film itself needs to be explained, but the element of how a director presents of a film; the mood attained by the camera angles, the symbols included in every scene, the intricate details of the shooting of the movie, the input of the actors (particularly one as great as Alan Rickman) into their roles, the subtle nuances of looks, glances, and plot building all lend a deeper understanding and enjoyment of 'Dark Harbor'. The wealth of this information provided by director Adam Coleman Howard makes viewing this film only on VHS almost like not watching the same film. On no other commentary I have seen has the director stuck so directly to the point; which is to give his very detailed insights, his specific direction reasoning, the information upon which he draw, the always educational tutorage on the problems of film-making such as the weather, the seasons, the locale, etc., and the final solutions, and basic reasoning used to determine just what we see woven into the finished film.

For fans of films seeking entertainment, the information on this commentary add layers of pleasure. For students seeking knowledge concerning construction of a film, the director's comments are to the point, succinct, and very detailed. This DVD would vastly add to your education.

There is a problem with renting versus owning the DVD. You will want to watch the film at least three times for true understanding; first for the initial unveiling of the plot, then the film with the commentary, and the third time with the more heightened awareness you will garner from the director's inside information. Then, for lovers of Alan Rickman, you will want to watch the work of this brilliant actor again and again well past the three-time mark because he offers to his craft a level of skill that leaves one in awe.

If you were introduced to Alan through 'Sense and Sensibility' (while 'Dark Harbor' certainly does not fall into the same category by the stretch of anyone's imagination) and wanted to see more of the actor and his fine work, you owe it to yourself to take the dive, enter the fog, and buy this DVD. Rickman reveals facets of his skill that are only glimpsed in 'Sense and Sensibility'. This is a two-way street, if you saw 'Dark Harbor' and were impressed with Rickman's talent, to see his performance in 'S&S' will add greatly to your admiration.

If you are interested enough to read reviews of this film, but are on the fence about 'should I purchase this DVD' or 'can I pass on this one' maybe one of these suggestions will help you make the decision. More to the point, hopefully you will make the right decision and decide to 'purchase' this intriguing, rich film and enjoy all it has to offer, which is considerable.

The first thing that attracted me to this film was that it starred Alan Rickman. Generally a character actor, Rickman has a reputation for stealing the limelight from the "stars" in his previous movies, i.e. "Sense and Sensibilities", "Truly,Madly,Deeply", "Quigley Down Under", and even "Die Hard".

Until the next to the last scene, this film has only three characters, but I did not find it at all sparsely populated. These are big,strong characters whose personalities take up a lot of space,time, and energy. Rickman and Walker are a couple who never seem to finish the argument in which the movie opens. there is an uneasiness and lack of harmony between them throughout, yet they did not seem to nitpick, nor did i find them annoying. I sensed that they both would have gone on with their low-grade bickering forever until they stopped to help a young man, played by Norman Reedus, lying by the side of the road. From then on, I was certain that their lives had been altered, and NOT for the better. Despite that certainty, this is not a predictable film, nor is it a formulaic one. The acting is superb, the dialogue is real, the setting is perfect. To say that this is a dark movie is an understatement. It IS very dark, but in the best possible way. It is a labyrinth through which I was certain I had found my way until the very last scene. Unlike the Nick Nolte-Jessica Lange version of Cape Fear, it didn't matter whether I

liked the characters or not, but it DID matter what happened to them. I wanted to find out and I certainly DID find out.

This film was totally enjoyable and I consider it two hours well-spent.

Subtle hints ahoy! I don't recommend this movie AT ALL to anyone who hates suspense, things left unexplained and an astounding amount of symbolism.

Because that's what this movie is, hints, lies, betrayal, intriguing, 'controversial', yet strangely beautiful at the same time.

The trailer to this movie is annoyingly misleading, but this movie is hard to explain well without giving too much.

Remember -everything- means something. (Put the audio commentary on, you might even have to, to understand some parts.) Right down to the colors of the clothing, placement of objects and the tiniest of movements. There's less than six speaking roles and besides the three main characters they're meaningless.

David (Alan Rickman), Alexis (Polly Walker) are a not yet middle aged married couple, yet are so obviously tired and annoyed with each other it nearly makes the viewer wish they would just admit it. But that's part of the beauty, the dialogue is near perfect to express this.

They vacation to their (Rather, Alexis' dead grandfathers home on a private island.) to rekindle dead flames in a sense. (Even -that- is symbolized, find it. ;)) On the way to catch the ferry, they find a Young Man (Norman Reedus) and by a series of small 'coincidental' events, ends up at their home. And while being a wedge between them, no one seems to want him to leave. Utterly everything falls apart and it makes the viewer wonder who is control of what--the feeling of control and who is betraying/hurting/lying to/being shady to whom and why.

There's questions that will make you look back on and rethink and very wrong assumptions. 'Hey...why did he beep the horn?', 'Why is she wearing that?', 'Did he do that on purpose?', 'She's just as bad! But...', 'Oh...I understand now.', 'That's kind of...beautiful...well, no..'. And so on and so on.

Mixed sexual feelings and attraction, the desire of the couple to -feel- again, a twisted admission of love, cruel words and very educated yet dark minds using knowledge to everyone's own advantage.

The scenery was lovely and it did distract you at some points and very solidly put together acting. The three characters had to carry the movie and did so well.

So keep your minds way, way open, along with your eyes, shut up, sit back and watch. If it doesn't leave you going "Huh...what? Wait, did he..? Why did she? They what, why? Wait; hold on there..." Then you're not watching it right. A really must see for yourself type of movie for adults.

More than many films, Dark Harbor bears repeated viewing -- it's after you know the ending that you can more fully appreciate the brilliance of Alan Rickman's multilayered performance, the apotheosis of his trademark blend of camp and subtlety. There's much else to recommend this intelligent and well-made film, of course, including very strong performances from the other two principal actors. Allegiances shift, clues to an unconventional mystery are scattered about like chips in a high-stakes poker game, and it is only in the final scenes that we see the cards the players are holding, and the chips stacked neatly on the table.

The DVD edition includes a director's commentary that enhances the film's nuances.

In an age when movies either feel the need to blow our minds to smithereens in order to guarantee "entertainment value", or bore us to tears in an attempt to achieve "artistic meaning", DARK HARBOR is a true revelation. Centering on the relationship between a wealthy married couple (brilliant Alan Rickman and gorgeous Polly Walker) and a bloody young stranger (ghostly Norman Reedus) who shows up on their private island off the coast of Maine, DARK HARBOR avoids the simplistic narratives and A-list fraudulence of studio con jobs like ROAD TO PERDITION, POSSESSION or INSOMNIA. Whereas these films are about as daring as Mother Teresa taking a sip of beer, DARK HARBOR expertly lures us into a mysterious world full of lust, intrigue and deception, while maintaining an emotional subtlety that is not only rare, but practically extinct, in today's cinematic climate. The fact that this underappreciated masterpiece was deprived of a proper theatrical release should make the entire movie industry bow its (brainless) head in shame -- not because DARK HARBOR is a work of art (which it is), but because it would have fed a massive audience starving for erotically intelligent filmmaking and made a fortune. Thank God for this nicely assembled and vividly beautiful DVD!

I bought this movie just so I could watch Alan Rickman. He is one of my favorite actors, and this movie didn't let me down. It was a brilliant film, full of suspense and mystery. If you can't give you full attention to the movie while you watch it, you wouldn't get the ending.

This is a definate good buy, because you'll want to watch the movie over and over to understand it. I definately recommend it.

Like many, probably most, people checking out this DVD, I got it because Alan Rickman is in it and I often (though not always) enjoy watching his performances. From the perspective of watching Rickman practicing the craft of acting (I know that sound god-awful pretentious), I was not disappointed. This movie is almost like a play with 3 performers. The performances are almost entirely what carries the film -- settings, props, cinematography, are secondary compared to most films. The script calls for the performances to be ambiguous -- appearances are always deceiving, and it was interesting to see how the actors achieved this.

The DVD includes a commentary by the director. Basically, you can watch the movie with a voice-over by the director about how scenes were done, what the performers had difficulty with, why a scene was set up the way it was, etc. This is great! Make sure to re-watch with the commentary if you're at all interested in how movies are made. I wish all DVDs would come with this.

As for the film's entertainment value, well, this is not a DVD that I would rent to watch with friends on a Saturday night. This was more like a "Wednesday night watch by myself with the remote so I can ponder scenes multiple times" kind of DVD. As for buying versus renting, well, if you're an obsessive Rickman fan for whom the thought of photographic proof that he is a man (as if there were any doubt) gives you heart palpations, then by all means buy it. Everyone else should probably rent first and then decide.

Note (for those wanting to savor 'the Voice'): Rickman affects an American accent -- that drifts around regionally, a few words come out with a distinctly southern lilt even. As an American, I found this too noticeable not to be distracting.

I rented this movie because Alan Rickman, one of my favorite actors was in it. Little did I know I would walk away with hundreds of questions!!! I must say that the first time I watched it, I had no idea what was going to happen at the end. I had to watch a second time to really understand what was going on and to see the hints that are given to us throughout the movie.

As always, Alan Rickman does an incredible job and really draws you in (especially if you love him like me!) to the movie. I could tell that he was trying to pull off an American accent, but at times you could tell that he just dropped it all together and went back to his British accent (which I absolutely love). I liked how he went back and forth.

Polly Walker was so-so as the wife. She was kind of boring, but that may also be how the character was supposed to be. Her reactions to some of the situations weren't as strong as I thought they could be, but overall she did okay.

Norman Reedus (sp?) did a very good job as playing a very mysterious man who David (Rickman) and Alexis (Walker) pick up on the side of the road. He was downright scary at times! The look on his face made me flinch!

The plot was very good and after a few viewings and I knew what was going on, I was still surprised by the ending!

I recommend this movie to ALL Alan Rickman fans--specifically adult fans...for this movie is certainly NOT suitable for children if you ask me.