Page 8
Entertainment
RAK HAVIK - a new on-campus band will be playing April
15, in the Wintergreen Cafe.
Three Fugitives-
Not Three Stars
by Darrell J. White
Collegian Staff Writer
**-0
Very little in the world
disappoints me as much as a
wasted opportunity.. Francis
Veber, a noted French director, is
making his American debut.
Nick Nolte has shown his acting
talent in "48 Hours" and more
recently in the highly acclaimed
"Weeds", about a prison inmate
who becomes a playwright.
Lastly, everyone knows Martin
Short's comic genius, having
been greatly praised for his stints
on "SCTV", "Saturday Night
Live," and in "Inner Space," to be
shown soon by SPC. With all
this talent, one would think that
these three forces would
collaborate to make a wild comic
masterpiece. Alas, this is not the
case.
This is not to say the movie
isn't good; on the contrary, it is.
The sad fact is, it could've been
much better. It begins very
good: bank robber Daniel Lucas
(Nick Nolte) has just been freed
on parole from prison, and
honestly tries to start a new life,
first by opening a new account at
a local bank. It just so happens
that Ned Perry (Martin Short) has
designs on the money in this
particular bank. As with all of
Short's characters, this one is
hilariously incompetent, from
ripping his own stocking mask,
to firing a warning shot directly
over himself (causing a portion
of the roof to fall on top of him)
to getting his own knapsack full
of money stuck in the bank's
chandelier- all underneath the
watchful eye of the security
camera. When, naturally, the
polite arrive and the inept
robbery falls apart, Perry falls
apart, almost releasing the grip
on the hand grenade he is
carrying. Lucas yells just before
Perry lets it drop, and thus
becomes the first choice when
Perry decides to take a hostage.
One can see the "oh-no-here-we
go-again" look on Lucas' face as
he growls, "Pick somebody else."
When Perry somehow drags the
much bigger Lucas outside to
face the police, he sees all the
firepower aimed at him and
faints. It is genuinely amusing
to watch Lucas as he tries to help
Perry keep his dignity, telling
him to stand up and "hold your
gun like a man!" When Perry
accidentally fires a shot into the
air, the police open fire, and .
Lucas immediately grabs Perry
by the neck and literally flings
him •behind a nearby car. This
begins a whole film-length of
Lucas beating the hell out of
poor Ned Perry, threatening to
tear his head off unless he takes
responsibility for the bungled
attempt (the police naturally
think Lucas was to blame). This
is all perfectly usable comedy,
and director Veber uses it well -
in the beginning.
The problems begin when
we learn the motivations behind
the characters. At first, Lucas
seems nothing mbre than a brute;
Perry, a spineless jellyfish. We
learn that Perry is a scared yet
kind man after he accidentally
shoots Luens in the leg and takes
him to the only doctor he knows
that won't file a report to the
police for a gunshot wound - a
senile veterinarian. Here we learn
that Ned Perry has a daughter,
Meg (Sarah Doroff). The mother
died when she was young, and
she hasn't spoken a word since.
This twist in the plot is nothing
new - we have all seen the stories
of the hardened criminal softened
by the baby. Veber runs this
playbook step by predictable
step. Yet little Sarah Doroff is
intriguing. With her straight cut
hair and dark tea-length skirt, she
is shot in almost a Stanley
Kubrick-ish fashion - straight on,
with harsh lighting to accentuate
her dark features. One wonders
what's going on in that little
silent brain, almost to the point
that we believe she's autistic.
Sarah Doroff should be an
enigma seen in later films. If
not, I'll be really disappointed.
Anyway, Lucas eventually
flees, and (you guessed it) Meg
follows. The last really notable
scene comes when they are asleep
in an abandoned basement, and
are about to be overtaken by a
couple of street thugs. They pull
out a straight razor, demanding
money - Lucas draws a gun
(Perry's) and demands their pants.
This takes us about thirty
minutes into the film and by now
we are really happy. The movie
has been really funny so far, and
we've still got about an hour to
go. The sad fact is, the movie
loses momentum so fast you will
continued, next column
The Collegian Thursday, March 30
Rock News
by Vail Weller
Entertainment Editor
"Street Fighting Years", the new album by Simple Minds, is due
out May 2nd. Simple Minds lead singer Jim Kerr and Pretenders
vocalist Chrissie Hynde have split.
U2's single "When Love Comes to Town" with B.B.King will
include U2's cover of Patti Smith's "Dancing Barefoot" on its B
side.
Taylor Hackford, who directed La Bamba (the story of Richie
Valens), is working on a film about Ray Charles.
Sting is concerned about Brazil's dwindling rainforests and recently
filmed a public service announcement in seven languages.
On June Bth, Guns 'n Roses and six other bands will take part in
"Rock and a Hard Place", a televised concert to benefit the Gay Men's
Health Crisis organization. The event will take place at Radio City
Music Hall.
think you're in a dropoff.
Martin Short's talents are
curbed here. Veber tries to direct
Ned Perry inward, as he becomes
almost sappy in his devotion to
his daughter. Although this is a
good thing, it doesn't seem that
Martin Short can prove sf
effective an actor that he can
reverse himself immediately and
go from slapstick to semi-serious
acting. He gives it a good try,
yet I doubt anyone car
successfully achieve that. It just
doesn't work. We follow them
from the vet's office to a little
chase on the highway, where,
when Lucas tries to say goodbye,
Meg intervenes and (yes) actually
speaks for the Erst time since her
mother's death. (This is spring -
you wouldn't actually want a
movie to think about, would
yora) They go from there to a
children's home to the border of
Canada to life in Canada itself,.
The story is dotted all along with
humorous little moments, such
as Lucas bashing the heads of
two security agents together
when Perry is cornered, and Veber
actually tries to show a glimmer
of artistic merit. He has Perry
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injure his leg somehow and then
gives a profile shot of Lucas and
Perry, both running, yet limping
on opposite legs. This is
supposed to link them towgher.
These little moments are what
make the movie watchable and
what caused Siskel and Ebert to
call it a romp "through the
funhouse." Yet it could have
been better. Short could have
been let loose, like Joe Dante
wisely did in "Inner Space."
Noite's acting could have been
showcased above the mundane
tough-guy image he has here.
And Veber could have rewritten
the script to make Ned Perry a
little less soul-searching.
Maybe I'm nit-picking.
After all, "Three Fugitives" is a
fun and funny movie. I left it in
good spirits, happy with the
content. But rye seen Short and
Nolte in a lot better. My
suggestion is to wait and see
Short and Dennis Quaid in
"Inner Space," courtesy of SPC.
The main reason? It only costs
one dollar, and - it's five times
better a film. Or wait until it
comes to Eastway, at least, and
save some money.