The Jacket

A soldier in the Gulf War is shot in the head, but somehow survives. He suffers from amnesia and blackouts, which leads to him being sent to a mental asylum when he can’t remember how he ended up on the side of a road next to a dead policeman. The chief doctor in this asylum has developed a particularly brutal treatment for some of his patients (those whom he believes are criminals): he feeds them drugs, ties them up in a straight jacket, and puts them inside a morgue drawer for several hours. Inside this drawer, the ex-soldier, played by Adrien Brody, suffers from vivid, painful flashbacks. However, he soon realises that as well as flashbacks, he can also have flash-forwards. In fact, these are not so much memories from the future, but actual visitations in that future. He can interact with the people there and change events. As you can tell, the concept makes little or no sense. You either go along with it or you switch off (which, given the film’s rating on Rotten Tomatoes, I think a lot of people did). It is intriguing, but the acting, especially from Keira Knightley, is heavy handed. Brody, usually excellent, is a little vague and uninteresting here. His character is doomed from the start, so it’s hard to get behind him or engage with his character much. What’s more, many of the other characters (played by some well-known actors) do not resolve their stories in any meaningful way – Daniel Craig, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Kris Kristofferson all seem wasted here. As with any time travel story, the logical flaws are hard to overcome. It reminded me in some ways of Source Code. The coincidences of the story seem to override the logic. He just so happens to visit a point and a place in the future where he meets someone crucial to his life. This would be ok if the dilemma of the main character is at all compelling or interesting, but unfortunately it isn't. Why is he never vindicated for the murder he didn't commit? We leave the film somewhat confused and disappointed.