Customer Reviews

Jennifer 8 [VHS]

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This film speaks for itself. Superb acting and well directed. A tense tightly scripted psychological thriller. Ex-LA cop Andy Garcia now living in a small town tries to solve a pair of local murders. His only hope is a blind woman who seems to be the key to the serial killer's activities. What is more she may be 'Jennifer Eight' the murderer's codeword for the next victim. This 2 hour film keeps you on the edge of your seat. Fantastic movie, entertaining not to dull although the ending could have been longer. The film finishes very quickly otherwise well worth watching.

True enough, movies about serial killers are just too many around, and the theme is simply overdone. Now, J8 has been shot in 1992, and if you make abstraction of all the dullest things done ever since, it IS a damn good movie.

First, Garcia's character John Berlin is no body-built, trigger-happy superman. He's merely a lab-tech, a forensic-oriented cop who stumbles upon what he thinks is the work of a serial. No shots fired, no wild car chases. The whole story is very plausible : from the cars they drive (a regular unmarked brown Police pack Caprice,and an 10-year old, battered 380SEC Mercedes as Berlin's personal car), to the clothes they wear, or the guns they carry. No fancy suits (although Garcia's short coat is really cool), and no 5-pound cannons (plain, California police regular issue Beretta 92). Creative police work, brainstorming and trial by error. Sounds a lot like your next door homicide cop daily bread and butter. And last but not least, the movie is shot in rural California...(well, BC posing as...) But it could have been New England ! A definite must see for those who enjoy Puccini, foggy morning ambiance rather than loud noises, squealing tires and shotgun blasts.

Writer/Director Bruce Robinson, best known for his cult hit "Withnail & I", has crafted a creditable little thriller in "Jennifer 8". It gets all the technical elements right, features some fine work from its actors, and does its best to screw around with the genre. But it rarely adds up to anything more than the sum of its parts.

One of the strengths of Robinson's script is the stylish and effective dialogue he gives to his police officers. Most of the best bits come from the mouth of Sergeant Ross, like when he tells his wife he can't stay for dinner because it's "Friday night at City Hall... I've got a chance to frighten the fat." He's talking about securing a confession from a suspect, but it hardly matters, doesn't it? "Where are the ladies?" asks Sergeant Berlin, before a party. "Putting on the warpaint," comes Ross' reply. My favourite line, and probably the film's most ostentatious, is this little nugget which falls from the mouth of a visiting FBI investigator: "You're confused... you don't know if Tuesdays come in twos or happen once a week." It's the kind of raw poetry that Quentin Tarantino specializes in (or at least has learned to crib from Elmore Leonard).

Andy Garcia carries the movie on his shoulders. His John Berlin (quite the pregnant name, as the film was released three years to the month after The Wall came down; are John's walls ready to crumble too? Stay tuned...) is a rather complex man, burdened by a shady past that is slowly alluded to, but never fully explained ("I feel like I said sorry on every street in [Los Angeles]," is the closest he comes to an explanation). Berlin is a model of patience and intuition (although I didn't buy the one moment of inspiration that lead him to his key witness; it's a "movie moment" that takes away from the reality Robinson is trying to inject into the film), quiet and reserved for most of the film, but prone to fits of rage when pushed. It's almost like Garcia, fresh off of working with Al Pacino, was modeling his character on that actor's work as Michael Corleone in the first two "Godfather" films. That's high praise, indeed, but Garcia's work here deserves it.

Uma Thurman plays Helena Robertson, "the worst witness [Berlin's] ever had," a blind music teacher who may be the only witness able to identify the man that killed 'Jennifer'. And what fates do "only witnesses" usually have in suspense films? They're the next victim, of course! Which gives Berlin a great excuse to stay close Helena, and fall in love with her. Thurman here really only has two jobs: to look adorable and play blind credibly. The first, of course, she does with ease. I've always thought of Thurman as kind of a female-version of Keanu Reeves: she's at her best when not saying much, and letting her physicality and obvious screen presence carry much of the load. Which she gets to do here. As for that second job, portraying Helena's blindness, Thurman achieves some semblance of credibility there. Affecting a dead-eyed look, you believe her as a blind girl, albeit one with startling mobility.

Lance Henriksen does what Lance Henriksen does best: he makes a rugged, [angry], misanthropic and misogynistic cop, constantly stuck in fourth gear, come across as rather likable. In his hands, with that map of the world face and baritone voice, Sergeant Freddy Ross is almost endearing. He's a big fish in a small pond, the kind of small town man who would name his boat "Duke" and not think twice about vocally ogling the... of the local waitresses. He and Garcia have kind of an oil-and-water relationship, but Henriksen's over-the-top showiness meshes perfectly with Garcia's solemnity.

The one way in which the film doesn't play fair with its audience is in listing John Malkovich's name in the opening credits, and then making us wait eighty-minutes before the man shows up. But when he does, that distinctive whisper of a voice is heard before the face appears, it's vintage Malk.

He plays an FBI investigator named St. Anne, who locks horns with Berlin in several lengthy scenes. Watching Garcia match wits with Malk is a real treat, the latter man's cool and whimsical aura offering a perfect counterpoint to the former's repressed fire. In Malk's hands, St. Anne has seen it all, giving himself leeway to toy with Berlin, trying to catch him in verbal traps and constantly rolling his eyes. But, like Garcia, Malk is able to let his instrument loose, erupting in violent outbursts periodically, which show the character's true power. And in a silly bit of business, Malk, for some reason, chooses to play the latter half of his scenes with a rather comic stuffed nose.

Being an avid fan of the serial killer genre, I was looking forward to finally seeing "Jennifer 8". It lived up to my expectations, mostly, but for some reason I just couldn't fully give my heart to it. I liked it well enough, but it never gave me the visceral thrill I was hoping for. I suspect the reason for this is that this kind of story has been done many times before, often with much more verve and wit and fun. Seen in the shadows of the heavyweights of its genre, "Jennifer 8" is a workmanlike effort, sure to give a modicum of thrills. I recommend it on an intellectual level, but have my doubts about its effectiveness on an emotional one.

As many of my fellow reviewers have noted in their reviews, this is a very understated, and underrated, thriller in the film noir tradition. Andy Garcia's character, to me, perfectly personified a police officer who'd had too many ugly years on the job, giving him a varnish of cynicism and brusqueness that translated into impatience with his new co-workers and surprising gentleness for his new star witness. Uma Thurman was terrific as a blind student who may or may not have something to add to the possible serial killer Garcia's character has discovered. Her personification of a blind woman - the way she didn't focus her eyes, her fumbling hands - were sensitively done and, to me anyway, perfect. The scenery and camerawork are beautiful and juxtapose wonderfully with the violence and chase scenes. However, am I the only reviewer who noticed that John Malkovich plays a dual role in this movie? He is the aggressive, sarcastic IA investigator who hammers Garcia's character, but he is ALSO the mentally challenged janitor. You know, the creepy one who is in the bathroom with Uma in that scene where she thinks she's alone, undresses and gets in the tub, completely in the dark (literally and figuratively.) For sheer creepiness, that scene alone gets a 5-star rating. The rest gets 4 stars, mainly due to a couple of plot holes that are never tied up at the end. Stellar performances from Garcia, Thurman, Malkovich and the rest of them.

Where in the world are these negative comments coming from?!? This movie is insanely suspenseful and good. The atmospheric soundtrack is worth purchasing as well. The music and mood make this picture. You have to soak in the pace. The ending is great. All movies have to end, and sometimes they are disappointing, but this has a great twist. I saw it in the theaters and it was a shock. I immediately wanted to see this movie again the next showing.

The supporting characters are great...perfectly cast. They stand in their own right and never interfere with the stars of the movie. This movie isn't without its flaws, but it is very good. Don't watch it alone at night, especially when it is raining. A great movie watching with friends on a cold night.

Then there's Malkovich! This movie is my first witness to his masterful style and personality. He was great in In the Line of Fire and owns that type of character. Here, he plays such a stylistic FBI agent and you become drawn into his confidence...you don't hear a script with Malk, just his strong personality.

Great film, great soundtrack!

The first thought that springs to mind is 'UNDERRATED.' Andy Garcia plays a cop who has recently relocated. He stumbles onto a case that is only a small part of a much bigger picture. What evidence is available leads him to an institution for the blind. He then meets Uma Thurman. Uma is able to give him some information, but obviously, her blindness limits what evidence she can offer. But she offers some interesting bits of information that she can. (What the different cars sounded like....knowing that the killer knew how blind people shake hands....etc) Eventually, Garcia and Thurman strike up a more friendly relationship, and there are some really beautiful scenes. (Like when Garcia takes her on the boat and she is enjoying the sensation of the water falling on her.) I don't want to say too much and possibly ruin the movie for you, but suspense gradually builds, and Andy eventually finds himself facing dangerous accusations, and of course Uma finds herself in danger as well. While the pace of this movie may seem on the slower side, it is well done. (Sometimes this is done so we get a chance to know the characters.) Without ruining the ending, there is an unusally frightening moment towards the end where Uma has to defend herself, and her blindness differentiates this climactic moment from other movies. This movie was made in 92, but it has charm from the 70s and 80s. The scenery is beautiful; the background music fits into the story (rather than being a commercial for new tapes/cds on the market). For some reason, a lot of people who made movies in the 90s decided that for a movie to work, there have to be an absurd amount of special effects; someone has to get beaten up or killed every 5 minutes; there has to be a lot of cursing; and humor only works on a slapstick level. Interestingly, this movie currently only has a few reviews, and some of them are on the lower side. To all of you reading this, sometimes a great deal of value is found in the more obscure things. WARNING: DO NOT BE DISCOURAGED BECAUSE THIS MOVIE ONLY HAS A FEW REVIEWS WITH SOME OF THEM NEGATIVE. YOU'LL MISS OUT ON A GREAT SUSPENSEFUL STORY THAT HAS A LOT OF BEAUTY.

'Jennifer 8' has a great cast and takes place in Humboldt County, California- so has some impressive scenery. The plot comes together like a finely slow cooked turkey (or potato), where at first you just get little whiffs of the magnum opus the dish is to become. The film is somewhat visionary in how it sculpts itself around magic north woods moments- the lone blind girl playing her viola before the window under the natural light; the lovers listening to 'silent night' on a quiet, north coast twilight eve; the initial drive through the redwoods; the final shots in the meadow- all these things help to capture that mystical attraction of the Humboldt region, all the while telling a very dramatic story of murder, courage, and love. A very different film that I would recommended.

Writer-director Bruce Robinson's serial killer thriller JENNIFER 8 is a mesmerizing and extremely satisfying character-driven film that elicits its scares through stunning atmospheric detail, tact, patience, and, most of all, intelligence. The storyline itself is far from original, yet Robinson develops his material extraordinarily well. The overall plot schema is full of delicious labyrinth paths, laying out clues for us very dexterously, while, at the same time, involving us with the characters and the eerie snowbound setting (Eureka, CA) they inhabit. Cinematographer Conrad L. Hall does a superlative job of giving JENNIFER 8 a palpable doomsday texture, with blacker-than-black darkness, shadows, rainfall, and flashlight-penetrated interiors that raises considerable goosebumps through controlled understatement. There are a couple of 'Boo!' moments engineered to jolt you out of your seat, but the filmmakers here put most of their concentration in building UP TO the actual moments of visceral action. It's a completely original thriller, where the search for the culprit isn't the only thing of interest; there are 3-dimensional characters and ingenious plot turns drawing us in, blending the horrific elements in logically, where the disturbing underlying content floors us much more effectively, because we're involved in everything that's going on, instead of counting the minutes until the next body is discovered or the next body is found. There's very little violence in JENNIFER 8, and it doesn't need it. Andy Garcia is nothing short of magnificent in his first starring role, blending appeal, rage and pathos into a complex character that you can't take your eyes off of.

"I've got a bad feeling about this. And I've been doing this too long to be wrong." -- Garcia's John Berlin


There is a quiet and haunting quality to this crime mystery which begins during the opening credits and is sustained to the very end. Andy Garcia rarely gets the spotlight he deserves but his low-key yet unmistakable charisma blends perfectly with the subdued thriller elements of this engrossing whodunit. As the lonely cop who leaves L.A. for the smaller Eureka after a messy divorce almost destroys him, he really excels, and seems to completely understand that this is a mood piece more than anything. And Uma Thurman, too often the centerpiece of Tarantino's high octane and quirky films, is marvelous as a shy blind girl as vulnerable to a serial killer as she is to Garcia's attentions toward her.

John Berlin (Garcia) hasn't even clocked in when a body in the Eureka dump leads to a starling and more gruesome discovery; body parts he believes belong to one of the "Jennifers" in a serial killer's spree which has baffled law enforcement. Even his old pal, portrayed by Lance Henrikson from Chris Carter's Millenium doesn't see the connection, and the new kid on the block must battle resentment of his presence and skepticism about his investigation as he tracks a killer. Uma Thurman is wonderful as the blind Helena; the only person to have seen the serial murderer. Most of the best scenes are between she and Garcia, the score by Christopher Young and intermittent songs by artists like Lenny Welch augmenting his growing love for Helena, and fear for her life.

Kathy Baker is excellent as Berlin's big sister of sorts and old pal Erikson's wife. Garcia's cop is more like a C.S.I. that an action hero, lending a certain depth to his character. Director Bruce Robinson also wrote the screenplay for Scott Rudin's production, and while the story becomes implausible towards the conclusion, as a director, he never lets the atmosphere waver. Garcia and Thurman make a nice couple here, and the believability of their romance overcomes a few plot problems to make this a quietly terrific film. The R rating of the film stems from a couple of brief shots of Thurman topless in a bathtub to highlight her vulnerability when a killer is nearby. Today it would only be a PG-13.

The elements of snow and rain and nighttime are used to help create an atmosphere many will love. Critics had strong reactions to this film on both ends of the star rating. The chemistry between Garcia and Thurman, and a mood captured and maintained, made this one a big success as far as I was concerned. I've always had sort of an affection for it, in fact, having seen it on the big screen years ago upon its initial release. Fans of the original C.S.I. from television will recognize elements and a mood sometimes found within that show. But Jennifer Eight was filmed years before. The final shot brings the viewer back nicely to the reason they've hung around till the end. If you like to pick apart plots, you probably won't enjoy it as much as those who lean towards atmosphere. A good one for Garcia's fans to enjoy, and a refreshing chance to see Thurman at her best.

Except for that disappointing ending that came too soon, I thought that this film was pretty good. It was quite suspensful and had great music (from Christopher Young, writer of the music from Urban Legend), which I know how to play. Uma played Helena so well that if I walked onto the set while they were filming the movie and didn't know who she was, I would have thought that she was really blind.