Dark Harbor (1999)

Sadly Over-hyped

Great Film overall

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

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

Dark Harbour is a quaint, little seen romantic thriller from the late 90's that sets up an alluring atmosphere in the brief time we get to spend with it, and then ventures slightly into territory that's a bit beyond its initial calculations, providing a super lurid, erotic third act that might not sit well with viewers who patiently followed it along the tracks of logic before it faltered slightly. It's funny though, because the ridiculousness of the twist ending is one of the main aspects that has made the movie stick in my mind since I saw it like eight years ago. The uniquely paired cast makes it worthwhile, as does gorgeous locations and solid cinematography, working hand in hand with neat, rain speckled sound design to bring us a low key thriller that does the trick. Alan Rickman and Polly Walker play a wealthy couple on their way to a remote getaway at a snazzy, forest covered property they own in picturesque Maine. They are about as dysfunctional as couples get; bickering, petty creatures who can't stand to be in each others presence to the point of constant tension. On their way into a secluded, densely forested region they come across an unconscious young man (Norman Reedus) who vaguely suffers amnesia and appears to be distressed, prompting them to take him with them to their abode. From their tension arises to an uncomfortable level as the drifter proves to be both a third wheel and a sinister force of unease to both, culminating in an ambient, rainy forest finale that stands as the best sequence in the film, and a nice bit of work at that. Rickman doesn't usually go for this kind of melodramatic, American stuff and it's surprising in a good way to see him flex his genre muscles. Walker, who wowed me in HBO's Rome, is overlooked and slides into any role with intuition and believability, not to mention her luscious physical presence. Reedus, an actor now known for his endless work on the increasingly dull and shabby The Walking Dead, has countless hidden genre pieces like this in his filmography, and his inherently edgy, enigmatically off kilter aura makes everyone worthwhile. This one especially so, as it's a nicely crafted little dip into a hot and cold mess of a situation that tears the rug from under you in ways you won't see coming.

Very few movies leave me confused as to whether or not I enjoyed them, but this one did. I watched this as one of only two Norman Reedus movies I hadn't seen, and... well...After watching it through a second time, I'm still not sure how I feel about it. It had its good parts and bad parts... Some of the lines were either poorly scripted, or the actors just weren't feeling it that particular day, since most of it is very well done (and Rickman and Reedus are obviously fairly decent actors), but certain lines just seem... very forced. Again, given the actors, and the majority of the movie, I'd say it was just awkward scripting.The copy that I seen had horrible sound quality, which did make it a little difficult to comment honestly, since I'm sure I missed at least 1/4 of the dialog. Also, not sure if it was (again) just my bad copy, or if it was meant to be filmed as such, but it had a very grainy, almost old-movie style quality about it. It didn't take away from the movie, but something about the grains irritates my eyes, which again, makes it difficult for me to rate the movie as a whole.Positives were, the acting was for the most part, excellent and thought-provoking. Sometimes, the tension almost does seem to be a bit too much (there were several points where I almost felt like leaving the room, before I remembered it was just a movie), but... Again, not really sure how I felt. I've seen a few reviews that said they had to watch it quite a few times before everything became really clear; I'm not sure if I care enough to do that.

If the ending hadn't been so fantastically unexpected, I don't think I could rate this movie so well.This movie has a lot of uncomfortable, distressing, "marriage falling apart" character interaction. That sort of thing is not my kind of drama, so the pace seemed to drag for me.In addition, the main characters are difficult to relate to and thus care much about -- the husband (Alan Rickman) is rather bitter and cranky and the wife (Polly Walker) is aloof and a little haughty. The acting was just fine (Norman Reedus was very alluring), but the characters themselves were perhaps a little TOO realistically flawed (for me).The setting was nice and appropriately isolated and a little spooky. The cinematography had something to it that seemed a little old-fashioned to me somehow.But the last 5-15 minutes of this movie are so ingenious that every uncomfortable scene, awkward conversation, and inexplicable character behavior absolutely worth it. I guessed every typical plot twist except the one that occurred.The ending definitely makes this movie worth watching. The intrigue and the drama, not quite as much.

Okay, I saw this movie last night. I've wanted to watch this forever, and I finally made it to Blockbuster to get it. Well, I watched it, and aside from Alan Rickman, this movie SUCKED! I mean, what the heck? The ending was the worse. ALAN KISSING ANOTHER GUY??? Heck no! That was just... wrong. I cried, thank you very much. I must say, whoever made this movie really did an awful job. The camera work was total crap. And the plot was awful. I didn't understand it. By the end, I was so confused that I was frustrated. It's a good movie for fellow Alan lovers, but if you're just looking for a movie to watch, don't see it. Watch something else. No good plot, bad camera work, two very bad actors.... I just didn't like it, and I really wouldn't recommend it to anyone.