Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, while not, as it is often described, among the most disturbing movies ever made (compare with Eraserhead, Pi, and the Cabinet of Dr. Caligari), takes an approach to the biopic genre which was both novel at the time (grainy film stock, hand-held camera-work, no Hollywood plot resolution, a style echoed in Morris' The Thin Blue Line two years later), and frighteningly effective--even today, when audiences have been thoroughly exposed to Anthony Hopkins (and Brian Cox) and the psychological gore films of Se7en and Saw.
By stripping down the production and putting the viewer face to face with the empty eyes of Michael Rooker as Henry Lee Lucas, H:PoaSK makes the viewer wonder whether to sympathize with him and believe his sad story of his childhood, or see him as a killer with no hope of redemption. Furthermore, by keeping the camera close to the action, one has no choice but to feel thrust into Henry's world, and feel like an accomplice to the killings.
That said, however, there are a few significant problems with the film. Character development is wanting, with some characters--most noticeably Becky--almost a blank slate. The killings, while a few are rather novel and disturbing, get repetitive. And, as has been noted, the lack of police action or justice is glaring.
One last point, however: H:PoaSK's use of sound is nothing short of remarkable. The use of mickeymousing (which, for those unfamiliar with the term, is when an action on screen is matched by a similar sound effect: Mickey Mouse falls down the stairs, and the sound effects man slides his hand across a piano) is fairly rare in modern cinema, appearing in the occasional Bond film when a villain appears, or in the Kill Bill movies, but out of fashion, generally; however, H:PoaSK uses mickeymousing to heighten the impact of Henry's murders in a truly startling way--almost as startling as in Lynch's Eraserhead, when the Fats Waller soundtrack cuts to silence, then to an orchestral sting, then to silence. Certain scenes in H:PoaSK are worth revisiting (for those who can stomach them), just to see how well the sound works in them.
This movie is certainly not for everyone, but is, at least, a fairly powerful experience. Seven stars out of ten.
By stripping down the production and putting the viewer face to face with the empty eyes of Michael Rooker as Henry Lee Lucas, H:PoaSK makes the viewer wonder whether to sympathize with him and believe his sad story of his childhood, or see him as a killer with no hope of redemption. Furthermore, by keeping the camera close to the action, one has no choice but to feel thrust into Henry's world, and feel like an accomplice to the killings.
That said, however, there are a few significant problems with the film. Character development is wanting, with some characters--most noticeably Becky--almost a blank slate. The killings, while a few are rather novel and disturbing, get repetitive. And, as has been noted, the lack of police action or justice is glaring.
One last point, however: H:PoaSK's use of sound is nothing short of remarkable. The use of mickeymousing (which, for those unfamiliar with the term, is when an action on screen is matched by a similar sound effect: Mickey Mouse falls down the stairs, and the sound effects man slides his hand across a piano) is fairly rare in modern cinema, appearing in the occasional Bond film when a villain appears, or in the Kill Bill movies, but out of fashion, generally; however, H:PoaSK uses mickeymousing to heighten the impact of Henry's murders in a truly startling way--almost as startling as in Lynch's Eraserhead, when the Fats Waller soundtrack cuts to silence, then to an orchestral sting, then to silence. Certain scenes in H:PoaSK are worth revisiting (for those who can stomach them), just to see how well the sound works in them.
This movie is certainly not for everyone, but is, at least, a fairly powerful experience. Seven stars out of ten.