Available at Amazon.com
Directed by
David Hugh Jones
Cast:
Robert De Niro …. Joseph ‘Jacknife’ Megessey
Kathy Baker …. Martha Flannigan
Ed Harris …. David ‘High School’ Flannigan
Sloane Shelton …. Shirley
Ivar Brogger …. Depot Mechanic
Michael Arkin …. Dispatcher
Tom Isbell …. Bobby ‘Red Sox’ Buckman
Kirk Taylor …. Helicopter Gunner
Jordan Lund …. Tiny
To look at the DVD cover of Jacknife, with Robert De Niro sporting a massive beard and images of the Viet Nam war in the background, it would be easy to assume that this would be a retread of The Deer Hunter. Featuring gut wrenching performances from De Niro and Christopher Walken, The Deer Hunter is almost overwhelmingly morbid to a point that it becomes almost too much to stand. While the film may have been good enough to win the 1978 Oscar for Best Picture, the thought of sitting through another version of this story was not a pleasant one. Fortunately, Jacknife surprises by being a fairly low-key, but still upbeat film that ends up being an inspirational experience about forgiveness, love, and redemption.
The biggest reason this film works at all is because of De Niro. Where I expected a somber performance, I instead a saw one that was full of life as his Joseph ‘Jacknife’ Megessey is a man trying to constantly subdue his inner demons by trying to help those around him. While trying to reconnect with an old friend that has forgotten him after their experiences in the war, he unexpectedly finds love with a stranger and gets to live a life he seemingly denied himself in his youth.
Most of the plot revolves around Megessey trying to help out fellow veteran David Flannigan (Ed Harris), who’s become a raging alcoholic since the war. A shared events causes great grief between the two, and has lead Flannigan down this road of destruction, but Megessey gives it his all to help his friend find piece. With two lesser actors, this could movie have easily derailed, but with De Niro and Harris both doing excellent work, we’re left with a moving piece about two estranged friends. Watching De Niro and Harris onscreen together makes for fascinating viewing, as the two actors seem to really be able to grasp these characters. De Niro especially gives a warm and timid performance at times, which shows the master doing some really terrific work.
Director David Hugh Jones doesn’t always tread as lightly as he needs to with the material, and the film’s Viet Nam flashbacks aren’t as visceral as they need to be, but there’s some very nice character work that’s done throughout this movie that keeps the whole thing afloat. Also, a subplot involving a blooming love between Flannigan’s sister Martha (Kathy Baker) and Megessey is handled very well and makes for a moving storyline. Screenwriter Stephen Metcalfe, whose play this film is based, also deserves much of the credit for the movie’s success.
Jacknife is a forgotten gem by De Niro and Harris, as the two work really well together towards a wonderfully emotional payoff. The movie may be a little dated and heavy handed at times, but overall it’s quite satisfying. It’s nice to see stars in little character pieces like this sometimes, as it shows that they each weren’t just in the movie to win awards or compete for box office gold. Jacknife is great addition to anyone’s personal De Niro collection.
The Video
It’s too bad that the only way to see a really nice film such as this one is in Fullscreen, but apparently that’s the only print available. The image itself is nice enough, but not getting to see the whole picture is a little disconcerting. The colors seem to have held up nicely though, even in this truncated format. The film is presented in Fullscreen with an aspect ratio of 1.33:1.
The Audio
The Audio track is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1. The track is fine, but really nothing special. The score does have a tendency to drown out the dialogue at times, which mainly what this film mainly consists of.
SPECIAL FEATURES: None, which is disappointing.
