Robert De Niro can be an annoying actor. He’s made so many brilliant films in his career, and yet, so often these days, you feel he’s on autopilot. While I’m not sure that I need him to throwing his all into his films as he once did, I’d quite like him to try a little bit.
Fortunately, in Stone, he does try, and as a result he puts in a really decent performance.
De Niro plays Jack, a parole officer who’s nearing retirement. He’s able to determine the future of Stone (Edward Norton) who is facing his parole hearing. Norton plays his character with relish as he tries to ruffle the feathers of the very straight-laced Jack.
Jack lives at home with his wife Madylyn (Frances Conroy), but although all might seem nice and cosy, we know that in his youth as a young couple, Jack lost his temper in a terrible way. You have the feeling that this violent and dangerous side of Jack has left serious scars on his wife, who fears ever leaving him.
Throw into this mix Lucetta (Milla Jovovich), Stone’s vivacious wife. If you know Jovovich only as an actress who plays video games characters in a dull series of films that all seem the same, then this is a refreshing change. Stone effectively wants his wife to seduce Jack, and despite his straightlaced character, that’s never going to be an easy thing to resist.
This is a small film, but well-played throughout. And it’s never entirely clear what’s going to happen.
I’m not sure that this film is ever going to get a UK release, but it’ll no doubt show up on DVD at some point, and is definitely worth looking at.