D Throat

Everything about this movie is great: funny dialogue, great action sequences, wonderful characters and superb camera-work throughout. One can see the director was influenced by Takeshi's movies: that is a compliment. Do not let the pace fool you, this is typical of Japanese moviemaking. Let's see them make movies like this in Hollywood: I don't think so.

This movie was shot using a digital camera, and it shows. There were enough annoying digital tricks used to alienate the viewer, also with the help of a terrible score. As if that weren't enough, the acting was also terrible. Now in Hartley's movies the acting is always peculiar, but here it was just BAD, especially by Satan (Thomas Jay Ryan)and Harvey, who (thank god) doesn't get to say much. After all these external problems it is also very unfortunate that the story itself is not that good, either. The jokes are predictable and unbelievably straightforward, and the events just rumble on from one incident to the next. The so-called book of life with Armageddon inside isn't much more than an excuse to see actors struggle to say their lines. All in all this movie is a waste of time and money and effort. Thumbs down.

This movie is a complete failure. The characters of Louis and Frank appeared in Rockwell's earlier feature "In the Soup", which was a very good movie. The jokes are pathetic, the adlibbing of the actors terrible and the story isn't that great either. The roles of Tony Curtis (who shames himself tremendously) and the equally unfortunate Steve Buscemi, who plays a transvestite of sorts, are a total waste. The biggest failures are Louis and Frank themselves, though. Truly an abysmal film, especially after the infinitely better In the Soup. Vote: a well-deserved 1.