Stonehearst Asylum
Will Lock You In
By Jonas Schwartz
I
spent the first hour of Stonehearst Asylum frustrated
because the twists were so obvious they were even revealed in the poster. Plus, so many movies in the
past had already treaded the same territory; from the classic flower power King
of Hearts to the abysmal slasher film Don’t Look In The Basement.
But director Brad Anderson (Session 9) pulls a major reversal
through flaunting a misdirection. Even if 50% of the audience figure out the
twist, it’s still a rewarding thriller with a striking visual design and a
creepy performance by Sir Ben Kingsley.
Based
on Edgar Allen Poe’s short story, “The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor
Fether,” Anderson’s film delves into duality, particularly showing both the
doctors and patients as crazy and cruel. In 19th century Europe, young doctor
Edward Newgate (Jim Sturgess, Across the Universe) arrives at the
prestigious Stonehearst Asylum to learn from the distinguished doctors. He
finds the staff quirky at best. The lead doctor, Silas Lamb (Kingsley) rules
over the hospital like a tyrant, with a henchman (David Thewlis). Newgate is
weary of his new home but becomes entranced by the ravishing Eliza Graves (Kate
Beckinsale). The hospital has a secret locked away; one that reveals Stonehearst’s
perverse past.
Like
the source material, Anderson plays up the darkly comic elements of his tale.
He visually presents an ugly world, where it’s unclear who is sane and decent. The
doctors are sadists – Brendan Gleeson as a fellow doctor treats a female
patient like she’s a rag doll. The doctors use equipment more apropos for The
Spanish Inquisition. The motif of chess highlights the one-upmanship between
the dictatorial Lamb and the equally volatile Dr. Salt (Michael Caine). Lamb
and Salt are two sides of the coin and instead of Newgate being caught between
the angel and the devil; he has two devils vying for power.
Visually,
Anderson has achieved a gothic nightmare. In the opening scene, the hospital
emerges like a haunted house on a hill engulfed by the fog. To hammer home the
dread, Anderson has Newgate arrive during an electrical storm, with lightning flashing
through the murky sky and pitch black ravens flying past the cast iron gate. The
rooms are moodily lit with fireplaces and gas lamps giving the hospital a shadowed
environment. The camera is often obfuscated, shooting the characters through
bars or shutters.
Kingsley
and Caine, who haven’t shared a screen since the Sherlock Holmes spoof Without
a Clue (1988) have delectable chemistry. It’s shocking the two don’t
perform more often. For most of the film, the story has them separated, but
once they’re in a room together, they attack like two pit-bulls after a ham
steak. Both find the absurdist comedy in their lines. Kingsley swats his cigar
around like it's a deadly saber. Sturgess is fine as the befuddled doctor in
over his head. Beckinsale is a lovely enough presence that it’s clear why she
has bewitched Newgate so.
A
slightly campy, atmospheric thriller, Stonehearst Asylum is reminiscent of
the Hammer horror films, not just the Gothic monster movies starring Peter
Cushing and Christopher Lee but also the Hitchcockian thrillers like Scream
of Fear starring Susan Strasberg, where everyone’s plotting against
each other and the audience can’t believe anything they see or hear.
Jonas Schwartz is a voting member of the Los Angeles Drama Critics, and the West Coast Critic for TheaterMania. Check out his “Jonas at the Movies” reviews at Maryland Nightlife.
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