| | | When it comes to murder, seduction and betrayal he wrote the book. Now he's living it!
Features: DVD, Widescreen, Aspect Ratio 1.78:1, Dolby Digital (5.1), Dolby Surround Sound
When it comes to murder, seduction and betrayal, pulp-fiction author Dan Dark (Robert Downey Jr.) wrote the book. But now, he's living it. Languishing in a hospital room with an immobilizing condition, Dark has lost himself in the fictional world of his alter ego, a hardboiled detective and dance-band singer living in 1950s Los Angeles. As Dark's grasp on reality continues to slip, he's placed under the care of an enigmatic psychiatrist (Oscar winner Mel Gibson). Together, they plunge into the mystery of Dark's psyche, where everyone is suspect and danger waits at every turn.
"It is worth catching The Singing Detective to see the brilliant Robert Downey Jr. in another extraordinary performance... " Jonathan Foreman, New York Post
"Robert Downey Jr. is great in a role no one less magnetically reckless would dare approach." Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly
Editor's Note
Director Keith Gordon (MOTHER NIGHT, WAKING THE DEAD) makes another brave adaptation with THE SINGING DETECTIVE. Based on Dennis Potter's stunningly brilliant 1986 BBC mini-series of the same name, Gordon's version finds the film's troubled hero transplanted to 1950s America, not post-WWII London. Dan Dark (Robert Downey Jr.) is a pulp novelist in the thralls of a crippling skin disease that has rendered him delusional and immobile. Bitter, angry, and at the end of his rope, Dan manages to offend everyone he encounters. As he lies in bed, scenes from his novel swim into his mind, blurring with experiences from his own childhood. In the present, he remains paranoid that his ex-wife Nicola (Robin Wright Penn) is out to steal a script he wrote. Adding to his disgust are forced visits with an uptight psychotherapist, Dr. Gibbon (Mel Gibson), who is determined to make a breakthrough with his hateful patient. Along the way, Dan envisions several musical sequences, which appear out of nowhere and add glorious confusion to his fevered state. Gordon, working from a script that Potter himself wrote before his death, delivers an imaginary, vibrant film that is aided greatly by Robert Downey Jr.'s ferocious performance.
| Features | Commentary By Director Keith Gordon |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Paramount |
| Release Date: 12/29/2004 |
| Running Time: 108 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 2003 | | Catalog ID: 340904 | | UPC: 00097363409045 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English [CC], English | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Widescreen 2.35:1 |
| Cast & Crew
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| | Professional Reviews | USA Today
"...Downey fans may enjoy it because DETECTIVE gives the actor one of his best showcase roles since CHAPLIN..." 10/24/2003 p.5EEntertainment Weekly
"...Robert Downey Jr. is great in a role no one less magnetically reckless would dare approach..." 10/31/2003 p.55 Los Angeles Times
"...[With] Robert Downey Jr. in a boldly theatrical portrayal that represents a personal career high watermark..." 10/24/2003 p.C12 Chicago Sun-Times
"It proposes to be a subjective view of suffering, and the ways this character tries to cope with it. Understand that, and the pieces fall into place." 11/14/2003 p.32 Uncut
"It's an intriguing, brisk effort..." 12/01/2003 p.154 James Berardinelli's ReelViews 8 of 10
The Singing Detective works not primarily because it's a strange and original brew, but becau
Variety 7 of 10
Potter's genius for wrapping black humor, poignancy and fantasy in utterly original story concepts l - Dennis Harvey
Chicago Sun-Times 8 of 10
The Singing Detective is a movie about a man who has been failed by science and drugs and tur - Roger Ebert
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