'Prisoner Of The Mountains' 'Sling Blade' Not Yet Rated p risoner of the Mountains is The vessels for this message set somewhere along the — the actors — are the highlight modem-day border of Rus- ofPrisoner of the Mountains. Bo- sia at the Caucasus Moun- drov, known for screen-testing tains, where two Russian soldiers thousands of candidates for a sin- are captured by local rebels. Tak- gle role, instinctively chose one en back to the rebels' village as of Russia's most popular actors, prisoners of war, the soldiers soon Oleg Menshikov (Burnt by the become valuable property — bar- Sun), for the part of the ruthless tering material — to a father soldier, Sacha, and in the role of whose own son is being held in a Vania (a somewhat naive drifter Russian jail. confused by duties of war), is the Sergei Bodrov, director ofPris- director's own son, Sergei Bodrov oner of the Mountains, based the Jr., in his first, stunning screen screenplay for his film on role. "Prisoner of the Cauca- Hoping for authentic- MOVIES sus," a short story by Leo ity and pleasant surpris- Tolstoy. Set against Rus- es, many of the smaller sia's conflict with what is now roles in the film were filled by vil- Chechnya, the story was written lagers from the shooting location. over a century and a half ago. None of these is more surprising The passing of 150 years and the or effective than the performance freeing of Russia from dictator- of Susanna Mekhralieva, a young ship hasn't eased its ancient trou- girl chosen from a local school to bles with its neighbors, but it has play_the pivotal role of Dina, the inspired Bodrov to drop Tolstoy's emotional link between captor pro-Russian bias and instead and captives. concentrate on the humans Prisoner of the Mountains is a caught in the circumstances of a thoughtful and effective film that ceaseless war. searches beyond the cold imper- Before becoming a director, sonalized nature of war, and Sergei Bodrov was a successful finds the strength and value of screenwriter in Russia with individuals. dozens of films to his credit, many of them comedies. Seemingly Ueb 40' more drawn to the lives of the — Jeffrey Hermann characters than the emotional distance of politics, Bodrov in- Prisoner of the MOlattaira will fuses that comedic spirit through- be shown 7 and 9:30 p.m. Fri- out this dramatic story and day; 4, 7 and 9:30 p.m. Satur- effectively accentuates his hu- day; 4 and 7 p.m. Sunday, Feb. manistic, but ambiguous, mes- 21-23. $5.50; $4.50/seniors/stu- sage. dents. The DIA's Detroit Filna Theatre, 5200,,Woodward, De- troit. (313) 833-2323. THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS 00 opening monologue, Childers explains how he killed his mother and the town bully after witnessing them commit adultery. Following a 25-year commitment to the "nervous hospital," Childers has reluctantly earned release back into the society that could never properly accommodate him. This time around, things have to be different. Initially, all goes well as Karl finds work as a repairman in his small hometown and is befriended by a young boy, Frank Wheatley, and his single mother, Linda. Indifferent to his background, the family welcomes Karl into its home. Without much ad the script for Sling Blade fallen time for settling, Karl soon finds that into the hands of mainstream Holly- the Wheatley home is far from happy. wood, it would have been eviscerat- No, whatever peace exists in the house- ed, lobotomized and spruced up with hold is regularly shattered by Linda's a radio-friendly soundtrack. No one would boyfriend, Doyle (Dwight Yoakum), a have recognized the end product from its snarling, cowardly racist with a violent tem- deep, disturbing beginnings. per and a fondness for booze. Like most bul- Fortunately, the script stayed right where lies, Doyle has little tolerance for the weak, it belonged, in the hands of Billy Bob the handicapped or anyone who is dif- Thornton, who not only wrote the ferent. That pretty much encom- screenplay but also directed himself MOVIES passes Linda's sphere of friends, also in the leading role. including a gay storekeeper named For a time, Thornton was a regular on Vaughn (John Ritter). Unavoidably, Karl television's "Hearts Afire" and "Evening observes Doyle destroy the fabric of the Shade," and also appeared in such films as Wheatley existence until he can't stand to Indecent Proposal and Tombstone. watch any more. While he's co-written several movie Thornton directs his story at a soft, de- scripts, Sling Blade marks Thornton's fea- liberate pace, increasing the drama slowly ture-length directorial debut, and some in but surely, like a pot of water coming to an the film industry have dubbed him "the red- inevitable boil. He has created such rich, neck Orson Welles." Not bad for a rookie. multidimensional characters that the cast Like Welles, Thornton's first endeavor is can't help but thrive, particularly Yoakum, a showcase for filmmaking of a most mature who practically steals the show from Thorn- nature. The story focuses on Karl Childers ton. (Thornton), a mildly retarded man who Sling Blade is a treat for anyone who likes was raised by abusive parents in a per- to fish outside the mainstream. versely religious household. In a chilling H COURTESY OF ORI ON CLASSICS Jeffrey Hermann is former co- editor of Film Threat. Billy Bob Thornton wrote, directed and starred in Sling Blade, and has been nominated for two Academy Awards: Best Actor and Best Screenplay. Rick Halprin is an attorney with a love of the movies. — Rick Halprin Bagel Barometer IGQ•,-) 1 0(k) Q I -) ',Os° Sergei Bodrov Jr., son of the film's director, and Oleg Menshikov in Prisoner of the Mountains, nominated for the Best Foreign Film Oscar. No Bagels 44ffilifiewilitaapitarisw". 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