I came across this movie while searching through my brother's DVD collection and was quite interested as I had watched the T.V. series ' The singing Detective ' by Dennis Potter (which I thought was brilliant )
I did'nt know it had been made into a movie and on seeing that Robert Downey Jr was playing the lead role among some other good actors I thought it was worth borrowing.
Although based on the TV series of the same name and the same storyline there are a few differences..................
The TV series is set in 1940's London with a big band music theme whereas the Movie is set in 1950's America with a Rock 'n' Roll musical theme !
Dan Dark (Robert Downey Jr.) is a successful writer, who writes fictional detective stories, but his life and his writing has come to a bit of a standstill when he is admitted to hospital with chronic psoriasis, this terrible skin disease has got so severe he can barely move and has made him feverish and bedridden.
He has the support and sympathy from the doctors and nurses, and his ex wife who visits him regularly but the constant pain leaves him feeling bitter and resentful to the world and all around him.
In his fevered state he drifts in and out of consciousness and reminisces one of his novels ' The Singing Detective ' his memories are mixed with fantasy and reality which include the story and characters from the novel, memories of himself as a child, his parents, and of his ex wife plotting and scheming against him, all this rolled in with the imagined song and dance routines only add to his confusion.
Robert Downey Jr plays the part of Dan Dark with great enthusiasm and gives a really great performance............ as does Mel Gibson ( and bald would you believe lol ) who plays the part of his therapist Dr. Gibbon who tries to convince Dark that in order to get better he must confront his tortured past .
The song and dance routines are performed well, the songs are mimed of course but done perfectly which all just adds to the enjoyment and quirkiness of the movie.
A very well acted movie and very entertaining with some good music along the way, highly recommended if you want to watch something a little different.
As I mentioned I thought the TV series was brilliant and the movie is just as good, I recommend both as they are very entertaining in their own way.
MAIN CAST.................
Robert Downey Jr. ..Dan Dark. Robin Wright Penn.. Nicola/Nina/Blonde. Mel Gibson ...............Dr. Gibbon. Katie Holmes ..........Nurse Mills Jeremy Northam .....Mark Binney Adrien Brody............ First Hood Jon Polito...................Second Hood
Region: Region 2 Number of discs: 1 Classification 15
Length: 109 minutes
Features.......:
Cast & Crew Interviews Original Theatrical Trailer Quotes & Trivia
shadow cast by the acclaimed 1986 miniseries, Keith Gordon's 109-minute film version achieves its own distinction. It was a daring (and some might say foolhardy) ass...
shadow cast by the acclaimed 1986 miniseries, Keith Gordon's 109-minute film version achieves its own distinction. It was a daring (and some might say foolhardy) assig...
Drama - Director: Steve Shill, David Nutter, Danny Leiner, Tim Van Patten, Alan Taylor, Steve Buscemi, Jack Bender - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over
![The Singing Detective [2003]](http://picnic.ciao.com/uk/65501289.jpg)
