Twelve

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Myself

Just randomly picked this one out off the new release shelf. Joel Schumacher directed, he's always hit and miss for me. Bizarrely enough as it started I realised this is based on a book I had actually read a few years earlier. I never read books. So this could well be the first and last time this ever happens to me.

I don't remember much of the book except it was about a drug dealer and some upper class New York youth doing stupid things. The film is the same. A lot of good work by the young cast most of whom I recognise from some tv show or film but couldn't place.

It has an interesting look, shot digitally on Red, and has pumpin soundtrack with dramatic interlude bits by Harry Gregson-Williams. They make the cost effective choice of showing all flashbacks in a white void with just the relevant people and props in place. It's an interesting choice.

My problem with this adaptation is one I have with a lot of adaptations, where the story is second place to the prose. They have to heap in voice over narration constantly throughout the whole film to get any of the writing in, instead of finding another way to bring it through the style of filmmaking. This is such a nothing plot, it's all about the characters thoughts and clever language. The voice over doesn't add much to the film here even though Schumacher regular, Kiefer Sutherland does a fair enough job.

The film is alright. It's not one of Schumacher's horrible ones.