Final (2001)

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

I have to say it doesn't start out pregnant with promise. An amnesiac, Denis Leary, is being treated in the private room of a Connecticut hospital by a psychiatrist, Hope Davis. Leary wisecracks a lot and there are flashbacks of memory. (Ho hum.) They can't leave the grounds but Leary and Davis walk around on the autumnal lawns and get to know one another, and we sense a bond building between the patient and his psychiatrist. Will she help him overcome whatever demons drove him into a state of amnesia? Will the revelation be a shocker? (Zzzzz.) But then, two-thirds of the way through, the character of the story changes completely into something resembling science fiction. There have been interpolated incidents in which Davis dons some kind of oxygen-breathing apparatus and visits her sister in another wing of the hospital, evidently suffering from one of those diseases that are always called "dread." The visit is distracting and pointless, until the movie approaches its end. I don't think I'll say more about the plot because there are surprises in it, some of which I couldn't get my head around.I've always liked Denis Leary -- rough voice, nothing face -- because he reminds me of a guy I met in a bar just off Pershing Square the night before I was to make a long sea trip many moons ago. Both Irish, both from Worcester. Leary might have been a fork lift driver or had some job that left his hands black with grease. He's an appealing actor, if not a powerful one.Hope Davis. Is that a WASP cognomen or what? She isn't striking at first. Her role as the psychiatrist who sheds some of her objectivity doesn't give her much wiggle room. But there is a wistful quality about her. She's a pretty blond with an endearing weak chin. Her features evoke an image of one of those little fishes just about to be eaten by a bigger fish. Yes, she could pass for a caregiver. Gradually, she and her character grow on you, and it's easy to see why Leary would become, not just fond of, but dependent on her by the very end.In reality it's a pumped-up two- or three-person play. Nothing dramatic happens. Nobody's head gets torn off. And the introduction, Act I, is sluggish. "Final" would have done nicely as an episode of "Alfred Hitchcock Presents." It's competently directed by Campbell Scott, George C.'s son.From the beginning, I kept wanting to get up and walk away but Hope Davis' quirky nose, not the plot, kept me in my seat for an hour or so, and when Leary starts looking for "The Alexandria Quartet" in the hospital book store, the film more or less had me. I mean, after all, here is a quartet that isn't a rock group. On top of that, Leary wants Frost's "Swinger of Trees" read at his grave, poem I used to read to my kid when he was about eleven. It became imperative at that point that I find out what the hell was going on.

Having been knocked out by Campbell Scott's 'Off the Map', I ordered his previous feature film on DVD and now that I see how brilliant that is as well, there can be no doubt about it: Campbell Scott is one of the finest film directors ever to come out of America. This one contains a tour de force performance by Denis Leary as 'Bill', who wakes up in a hospital room and wonders what the hell is going on. Much of the film takes place there, and the film has the claustrophobic intensity and fascination of the film 'Tape', which is set in a motel room. This film has a sci fi premise which slowly emerges from the confusion experienced by Bill, as the pieces begin to fall into place. But it is not just sci fi, it is a serious meditation upon the future (if we are to have one!), and Bruce McIntosh's script is really brilliant, full of provocative insights. As a counterfoil to the rough diamond character of Denis Leary there is a sensitive, finely-judged performance from a highly superior actress, Hope Davis, who appears to be treating him in the hospital. Or is she? And her supervisor is well played by Maureen Andermann. What is her real job? Anyone who has an attention span of five minutes maximum should not watch this film, because it requires sustained attention throughout. In fact, morons should be strictly prohibited from seeing 'Final', and firmly told that it has nothing to do with football. If the wrong people watched this film through to the end, there is no telling what might happen. We cannot afford to let this get out. This film is every bit as much off the radar as 'Off the Map'. 'Final' and 'Off the Map' are so original, Campbell Scott has redefined the word itself.

Although Denis Leary, the male lead, and Jim Gaffigan, who plays a prominent supporting role, are best known as professional comedians, make no mistake. This is a fine, science fiction drama.The movie is driven by the dialog and the slowly unfolding plot of a great screenplay. There are essentially no special effects other than the flashbacks, and they are really more a product of good editing. The story is compelling and captivating, pulling you along as the larger plot points are revealed.I'm sure this movie made no real box office, but it is absolutely worth the rental. Leary is shockingly good in this movie and proves that he has the acting chops of an Oscar winner. Davis' performance is solid, but very demure. One could argue that she had a supporting role instead of the female lead. Although Gaffigan has a lot of screen-time, he does not have much dialog. Regardless, Gaffigan delivers a stalwart and believable performance.

Dennis Leary may have started a comedian, but he is becoming a top-notch actor. His TV work just keeps getting better, and Final shows how good he can be.****SPOILER****In this film by Independent Digital Entertainment, Leary plays Billy, a man who wakes in a mental hospital with no clear memory of why he is there. Billy is lead to believe it has only been one week since he had an accident, but he thinks it has been four hundred years and that he is slated to be killed. As things progress, it is made increasingly clear that there is something unusual going on. Billy remembers more and more of the events leading to his accident and finally discovers the truth. This film was well shot on digital and had good acting and great dialog. All in all, a good movie with a decent take on the whole coma/cryogenic/future/past combo.