University of Virginia Library

Nice Change

Jagger is not the top-billed star,
however. James Fox is. It's a nice
change to see Fox in an evil role,
and he does a credible job of
playing a degenerate perverted
henchman. Jagger enters the plot as
the landlord of a building Fox is
using for shelter. Unfortunately for
Jagger and Fox, and as we all
should know, "it's just a shot
away."

Fox's character, Chas, is
apparently going mad. The ads tell
us the film is "about fantasy, and
reality, vice and versa." This is fine
if the film could really accomplish
this end. The script by Donald
Cammell and Nicolas Roeg could be
strengthened in places, especially in
the opening sequences which are
important in establishing Chas's
revolting personality. The whole
first hour of the film is
uninteresting, and this is also due to
anxious waiting for the appearance
of Jagger.

Donald Cammell's direction is
also responsible for an hour of
boredom. There are nice flashy uses
of different film stocks, rapid
montage, and really swell fish-eye
lens shots, but why use them? If
technique is used with some
purpose, rather than being used to
create avant garde effects, then the
use is justified.

The film picks up momentum
with the addition of Jagger. Of
course his character is far more
interesting, being a combination of
both male and female sexes. And
the physical setting is visually more
impressing than Chas's white plastic
apartment. Christopher Gibbs's set
decoration adds considerably to the
feeling of evil, sensuality, and dark
foreboding.