The Gray Man (Albert Fish) -- DVD review

[onager]

DVD Release Date: April 28, 2009

Heads up for TC fans who may miss this one in their local video store or Netflix queue etc.

Anyone in a True Crime group knows who Albert Fish was and what he did, so I won't go into any biography.

This movie is definitely worth watching, and proof that "low budget" doesn't have to mean "cheap." Apparently this was a direct-to-video release, but the story and visuals are far better than many current movies. (I know, I know, that's not saying much.)

In places, the moody, available-light visuals reminded me of "Chinatown."

"Gray Man" really gives us a feel for 1928 New York. The period details are all perfect. So is the cast. No big names here, but none are needed. These characters inhabit a grungy world of cheap boarding houses, crumbling old police precinct stations and claustrophobic basement tenements. Every adult character looks appropriately care-worn and beaten down by life. Or maybe I should just say "experienced." This is a good thing, IMO. The movie would have been ruined if some typical Hollywood pretty boy (or girl) had popped up in a major part.

The movie also takes a good swipe at the mainstream media of the era, who are depicted as being just as simple-minded and frivolous as their descendants are today.

Two gripes about the DVD release:

1. The audio is only 2-channel stereo. Surround sound would have increased the Creepiness Factor tremendously.
2. The DVD is a really bare-bones release--just the movie and scene selections. No extras, not even a trailer. A documentary about Fish would have been a welcome addition. Maybe a bundle of this movie with the semi-documentary "Albert Fish, In Sin He Found Salvation."

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0478329/

[tiddlywinks]

1. thank you onager

i will keep this in mind when my summer vacation starts up in 13 days and two hours!