D-Tox (2002)

Powerful

hyped garbage

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

That's what happens when you're dedicated Female Body Investigator who cares for his damnable job more than his own wife. She was cut and butchered by crazy serial killer. This movie (2002) had very strong point and something what someones should beware if they wanted to keep their family whole.

The opening credits provided a glimmer of hope for this film in the form of co-stars Kris Kristofferson, Tom Berenger and Dina Meyer, however Ms. Meyer gets offed early on after an opening scene in which she smooches Stallone (Jake Malloy) during an ostensibly romantic, yet actually insipidly mumbled conversation while he holds a toy mechanical clapping monkey which apparently has no significance whatsoever resulting in its being unceremoniously hurled behind the sofa. This cursory intro to Mary Malloy will constitute her entire character development, thus her abruptly brutal departure creates no sense of loss other than the obvious absence of beauty for the rest of the movie. The episodic feature spends too long lingering over each scene which consists of Sly mugging and grimacing over his loss. Kristofferson is largely misused as the proprietor of a rehab facility that looks more like a set left over from a dystopian sci-if feature. Meanwhile, Berenger is completely wasted in what appears to be a half-baked role of an electrician or plumber from Minnesota or maybe Canada, I'm unclear on why this part even existed. Any way, there's a cop killing psycho on the loose who surprisingly winds up in the same detox unit in a seeming paean to cliché-ridden cop TV shows, but at least they're over in an hour or less. The actors give it their best shot but the only applause you'll hear at the end of this feature is originating from the tin monkey still trapped behind the living room couch.

Despite the fact that Sylvester Stallone is a household name in American cinema, there is one galling fact about his career that cannot be overlooked: Besides the "Rocky" and "Rambo" series of films, nothing else he has done has really proved to be all that captivating besides just selling a few tickets at the box office. From gratuitous action flicks (Cobra) to comedy (Oscar) and even to drama (Cop Land), Stallone never was able to re-capture that Rocky/Rambo franchise glory.With this effort, Stallone dives headfirst into the "thriller" genre and ends up with a pretty decent film that could have even been much better if not for some uneven filmmaking.Basically, the plot of "Eye See You" centers on policeman Jake Malloy (Stallone), whose wife is murdered by a brutal serial killer that Malloy had been tracking down. After a bout of deep depression and drowning his pain in the bottle, Malloy heads off to a detox clinic, where he discovers that his painful past may not quite be done with him yet.Though I by-and-large enjoyed the movie overall, my first thought upon its completion was "there's just something missing, but I can't quite put my finger on it). Was it a Saw-esque police drama about a ruthless serial killer? Kind of. An emotional tale of a man battling back from his inner demons? Sort of. A suspense-filled action romp filled with gunshots and chase scenes? Most certainly...until the characters break to talk about their feelings, detox style.Usually, that type of genre diversity is great up on the big screen, but unfortunately in this case it just didn't come together. Interestingly enough, watching the trailer for the film will lead viewers to believe that the film is about something else entirely, leading me to believe that major script/character changes hampered this production from the get-go (perhaps accounting for a straight-to-video U.S. debut).Thus, while this film won't inspire you like Rocky or satisfy your action cravings like Rambo, it is still one of Stallone's more solid efforts up on the big screen (especially in the "later years) and provides enough interesting moments to avoid boredom. Check it out...if you can find it!

D-Tox starts as FBI agent Jake Malloy (Sylvester Stallone) is on the hunt for a serial killer who has killed nine cops in six months, while at the scene of the latest victim the kill calls Malloy to taunt him & say that he is at Malloy's house. The police arrive too late & the killer has murdered Malloy's wife Mary (Dinah Meyer), the killer escapes & over the next six months Malloy slips into alcoholism & depression. His friend Hendricks (Charles S. Dutton) suggests that Malloy should check into a detox clinic in remote Wyoming that specialises in alcoholic cops, Malloy agrees in an attempt to get his life back on track. Once there Malloy settles in but a huge snowstorm cuts the remote ex military bunker off & the various patients start to turn up dead, at first suicide is considered but it quickly becomes apparent that a killer from Malloy's past has followed him there & intends to kill everyone...Briefly retitled Eye See You for home video release in the US this American & German co-production was directed by Jim Gillespie & the script was based on the book 'Jitter Joint' by Howard Swindle although I have not read it so I cannot compare the final film with the book, generally speaking D-Tox wasn't that well received when it was originally released but I have to say that I thought it was quite good actually & I have certainly seen worse Hollywood productions than this. D-Tox starts out as a promising psycho thriller with a decent set-up where Stallone's wife is murdered as he has to stand by helpless, it's quite nice to see a script where a central character doesn't get over the death of someone close in five minutes or swear blind vengeance & starts killing everyone in sight. Once we get to the detox clinic there's a decent array of character's on show, most with some sort of history & just enough about them to make you care. So the set-up, the story & the character's are all solid but once the snowstorm kicks in & the place is cut-off D-Tox turns into a fairly stand slasher film as these character's are just wasted & end up being nothing more than victims. Even Stallone's character seems to forget about his loss & problems & becomes an action hero, the intriguing set-up is just wasted & while it moves along at a decent pace & there are a couple of reasonable twists & turns the script never had me on the edge of my seat or particularly surprised me for that matter & the revelation of the killer is rather half hearted & lacks impact. However, as I said I think D-Tox does have some good things going for it, a solid story, solid character's & some decent suspense as well but it could have been so much more. If the final half an hour hadn't descended into various people walking around dark corridors & the early promise the film had shown had been carried on then this might have been a bit of a gem, as it is it's good but not great.To it's credit D-Tox looks great, the harsh cold outdoor terrain & the cold grey interior of the clinic give the film a really isolated & dark feel. There's a bit of gore as someone gets a drill in the eye, someone is impaled & a bit of blood is seen. Surprisingly light on action that is maybe one reason Universal didn't know quite what to do with it, D-Tox was originally filmed in 1999 but sat on the shelf for a few years before Universal sold the theatrical rights off & it flopped in the US.With a supposed budget of about $55,000,000 this looks very good with sleek, cold & stylish production design. Filmed in Los Angeles & in Canada. The acting is pretty good by a decent cast, Stallone is alright while Tom Berenger, Robert Patrick & Kris Kristofferson add able support.D-Tox is a decent horror thriller murder mystery with a little more depth than usual, it's not the best film out there but the story should keep you guessing & the atmospheric looks & feel of the film help t create a fairly engaging & watchable whodunit. I have seen a lot worse then this anyway.