There is something inherently unique about John Maybury’s (Man to Man, The Edge of Love) that has me wanting to watch it every few years to see if I can pick up something more with it. I’m not sure I’ll ever truly have it figured out, and I’m wondering if it’s a movie meant to be figured out completely. I think Maybury wants you to draw your own conclusions about his film. Sometimes I love that. Sometimes it drives me mad. With The Jacket, I find it riveting because this is a small-budget movie with some big ideas and aspirations. While not a hit with audiences ($6.3 million) or critics (44% on Rotten Tomatoes), The Jacket is one of those movies I refer to as a hidden gem. You might not even know about it unless someone suggests it. This is me suggesting it.

The film takes place in two different periods. 1992 and 2007. Adrien Brody (The Pianist, King Kong) stars as Jack Starks, a man who is the same age in the present-day 1992 and 15 years into the future. In 1992, Jack was convicted of a murder he didn’t commit and declared not guilty by reason of insanity and sentenced to an insane asylum. In his institution, he is treated by the stern Dr. Thomas Becker (Kris Kristofferson – A Star is Born, Blade). Also in the asylum is the more compassionate Dr. Beth Lorenson (Jennifer Jason Leigh – Single White Female, The Hateful Eight). Dr. Becker uses some extreme practices in attempting to cure his patients. One of these involves pumping them with drugs, putting them in a straight jacket, and then sliding them into a mortuary drawer. This is the approach that he is taking with Jack. Thinking about being shoved in a drawer in a straight jacket while still awake causes my stomach to churn.

In this state, Jack has flashbacks, including the incident with the policeman who landed him in the facility. But he needs more to assemble everything that happened before his time in the morgue drawer is over. But that isn’t his only session. He is transported to 2007 in his next session, though he doesn’t know it immediately. It’s Christmas Eve, and he’s standing outside of a late-night diner. Jackie Price (Keira Knightley – Pride and Prejudice, The Imitation Game) leaves work in the diner, pulls up, and offers him a lift. Jackie is clearly dissatisfied with her life. She has nowhere to go on Christmas Eve. She smokes. She drinks. She lives in a tiny apartment with barely enough food to feed her.

Without giving too much away, Jack discovers a link that involves 2007 Jackie and his life back in 1992. He also learns that he is set to die on January 1, 1993…which is just six days away. He can only find out how he dies to try to prevent that from happening by getting back in the drawer. Jack works frantically with Jackie to figure out his past. He needs to do a lot of convincing to try to get all that he needs. First, he’ll encounter the 2007 versions of Dr. Becker and Dr. Lorenson. Then, he’ll learn things about them to convince their 1992 versions that he isn’t crazy…something that he has proclaimed all along.

I thought this movie was great. I’ve seen several films that attempt this sort of time travel and aren’t successful. One movie that this reminds me of that I also enjoyed very much is The Butterfly Effect (but NOT its sequels). I thought Brody was great as a distraught man trying to figure out these two worlds and his place in each one. It might be his second-best performance behind The Pianist. That’s not saying a ton, considering his career has fizzled since he won an Oscar for that role. Knightley is excellent as the frenzied Jackie, a down-on-her-luck waitress who encounters this strange man who convinces her that he is worth her help. Ultimately, this isn’t as much a mystery as a dramatic thriller. Sure, there is some work involved in figuring out Jack’s past and what is set to kill him six days after he enters the drawer for the first time, but it’s more a movie of being able to kick back, relax, and watch it all unfold in front of you.

Plot 9/10
Character Development 8/10
Character Chemistry 7.5/10
Acting 8/10
Screenplay 9/10
Directing 8/10
Cinematography 7/10 (1992 and 2007 look an AWFUL lot alike)
Sound 9/10
Hook and Reel 10/10
Universal Relevance 7/10
82.5%

B

Movies You Might Like If You Liked This Movie

• • 12 Monkeys
  • The Butterfly Effect
  • Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
  • Frequency
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