The Last Sign [2004] [DVD]

 

 

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This film could have been a fairly decent, if not exactly groundbreaking, thriller about an abusive husband faking his own death to then come back and torment his widow. It could have been a nice supernatural suspense story about an abusive husband returning after his death to torment his widow. Instead it turned out to be a mindnumbingly confused tale about a husband returning from the dead to teach his widow how to life again - by tormenting her with weird nightly phone calls and threatening appearances by himself and other assorted ghosts.

I can't remember when I've last seen such a mess of a film. The script seems to be cobbled together from about every movie ever made on the topic of dead husbands and their surviving families: There is the distraught widow (Andie MacDowell) on the verge of financial meltdown, there is the teenage son (Tyler Hynes) acting out his grief through aggression and violence, there is the supportive sister/best friend (Mimi Kuzyk) urging the widow to start living again, there is the tentative new love interest (Samuel Le Bihan) who is oh-so understanding. On top of that we get some Constant-Gardener-like social commentary as an explanation why the husband (Tim Roth) became an abusive alcoholic - the ruthless practices of politicians and the pharma industry in Africa so disgusted him that he sank into a deep depression. But, sadly, none of the pieces fit together and there is no character development whatsoever.

Andie MacDowell, lovely as she is, is not much of an actress, although she has been extremely lucky in her choices of roles. "The Last Sign", though, proves beyond doubt that she cannot carry a film on her own, especially not in a dramatic role - her flat, monotonous voice and her limited range of facial expressions make it almost impossible to empathize with her as there is never any depth to the emotions she is supposed to portray. Tim Roth and Samuel Le Bihan, on the other hand, are both superb and experienced actors, but they are both punished with roles which amount to little more than cameo appearances. Samuel Le Bihan, deservedly a star in his native France, is even robbed of his voice, as his part (playing a French engineer) has been dubbed in a totally unsuitable American accent.

Do not watch this film - there is really nothing to recommend it. If you like thrillers, you are bound to be disappointed by the lumbering pace, the directionless direction and the sickly-sweet ending which seems to belong to a different movie entirely. If you like films about the healing power of forgiveness and those benevolent forces in the afterlife you are bound to be disappointed by the lumbering pace, the directionless direction and the ominous and frightening experiences MacDowell has to endure - and not even the single feather twoards the end, obviously symbolising some angelic presence, can make up for them.

Oh, and by the way: I still haven't figured out what exactly the "last sign" is ... unless it is the near-death experience of almost ending up underneath an eighteen-wheeler ... Why can't ghosts ever show up and come right out with whatever wisdom they want to impart on the living?

this film looks very good right from the start and promises a lot! however dont be fooled by this, the film is complete and utter rubbish and never gets too where you think it's gonna go... It leaves you feeling very empty and unsatisfied as if you have just won the lottery jackpot but lost the ticket! THIS HAS TO BE THE WORST FILM EVER!! SORRY MR DIRECTOR MAN!

SHORT AND SWEET THIS FILM IS RUBBISH, NOTHING HAPPENS , IT IS AS THOUGH THEY ARE MAKING IT UP AS THEY GO, I READ THE ONE STAR REVIEWS BUT BOUGHT IT BECAUSE I THOUGHT ANY TIM ROTH FILM IS WORTH WATCHING BUT I WAS WRONG. IT IS UNBELIEVABLY BAD AND DOESNT DESERVE ANY STARS

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1.0 out of 5 stars Watch out for the signs: Stay away from this movie!
This film could have been a fairly decent, if not exactly groundbreaking, thriller about an abusive husband faking his own death to torment his widow. Read more

Published on 6 May 2007 by crimecatuk

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