The Jacket (2005, DVD)

I like movies that make me think. And The Jacket definitely does that. Mixing the concepts of time-travel, hallucinations, amnesia, and experimental medical treatments, this movie is not the easiest to follow. It has similarities to both Jacob's Ladder and The Butterfly Effect, so fans of those movies will likely enjoy this one.

Basic Plot

Jack Starks (played by Adrien Brody) is a soldier in the Gulf War. Shot in the head, he's just about to be pronounced dead, when he suddenly opens his eyes. It seems he has magically survived. He's discharged and back to his normal life in Vermont. But his head injury causes him to have bouts of amnesia, and periodic blackouts. One day he takes a ride from a stranger and when the two get stopped by a policeman, shots are fired, and the policeman is killed. Jack's on trial for the murder, and although he knows in his heart that he didn't do it, his sketchy memory does not allow him to build a credible defense. He is sent to an institution for the criminally insane, where Dr. Becker (Kris Kristofferson) subjects Jack to a bizarre experimental treatment. Jack is strapped into a straight jacket, and rolled into a morgue drawer for complete isolation and sensory deprivation.

What the doctor doesn't know, is that while Jack is strapped into this isolation chamber, his mind is able to transport him through time. Yes, while confined to the chamber, Jack is living another life, in 2007. And in this life, he learns about his own death, years before. As Jack starts to realize that things in the hospital are not on the up & up, he realizes that knowledge brought back from the future can be used to change events in the present. (Sort of the opposite from most time travel movies, where there is an attempt to change the future).

What did I like?

The acting in this movie is superb. Adrien Brody plays his role to perfection. I read that he actually insisted he be held in isolation in order to get a realistic feel for the desperation his character would be feeling. Keira Knightley plays Jackie, Jack's friend in 2007, who tries to help him fill in the missing pieces of his life. At first, she obviously doesn't believe a word Jack tells her, but as she starts to accept his bizarre tale, she genuinely starts to care about him, and feels as desperate as he does, to understand what happened back in the hospital all those years ago. Kris Kristofferson brings the right amount of "mad scientist" feel to Dr. Becker. And when we meet him again, as a sad old man in 2007, we can feel his pain, as a man filled with regret.

I thought the direction of this film was wonderful. John Maybury uses many different visual styles to keep this film interesting. We have grainy war footage, bright colorful scenes in the future, and muted tones in the present. And then we have the time Jack spends in the isolation chamber. Total blackness, but we can see the light and the terror in his eyes.

Mostly what I liked about this film, is the message that it sends. That we're here for a reason. That we can affect the lives of others. And we can choose to affect them positively or negatively. Jack realizes that despite the dire circumstances of his confused existence, he can make a real difference in shaping the lives of those around him.

So what's not to like

Many people will hate this movie. Simply because it's difficult to follow, and leaves itself open to interpretation. Things are not tied up in a nice neat package at the end. If 10 people watch this movie, I think they'll have 10 different ideas about what "really happened" to Jack Starks. This doesn't really bother me. I can live with the unanswered questions, and the dangling threads, and simply apply my own ideas. But anyone who requires a neat ending will be disappointed. As for me, I would like to watch this movie again, sometime soon, as clues that I missed the first time are sure to be apparent the next time.

Final thoughts

Rated R for violence, language, and brief nudity (very brief), this is definitely not a movie for kids. And if you're looking for a light-hearted, easy-to-follow story with a neat ending, this definitely isn't for you. But if you like a deep movie, that will force you to think, I recommend this one.