After Image (2001) Reviews

• Boring Movie with Messy Screenplay, Senseless Story, Nice Cinematography and Lots of Fake Reviews Promoting It in IMDb

  claudio_carvalho2013-10-29

  The crime photographer Joe MacCormack (John Mellencamp) is tired of his profession and he quits his job and he visits his Aunt Cora (Louise Fletcher) that has raised his brother and him since they were boys. Joe meets the deaf Laura (Terrylene), who helps his aunt in housekeeping and has premonitions of death, and they feel attracted for each other. Meanwhile a serial-killer is threatening Laura. "After Image" is a boring movie with messy screenplay, senseless story, nice cinematography and lots of fake reviews promoting it in IMDb. Nothing that happens in this movie is clear. Joe apparently has seen so many murders that he can not bear his profession; or is it a trauma? What is the purpose of his brother in the story? Laura has premonitions and again, no explanations for her ability. Who is the serial-killer and what connection does he have with Joe and Laura. What has happened with the videotape that the killer had sent to Joe and is erased when he goes to the police? In the end, this movie does not explain anything along 92 minutes running time. Before reading any favorable review in IMDb, see the only review of those who are writing to avoid being disappointed like I am. My vote is two. Title (Brazil): "Visões da Morte" ("Visions of Death")

• It's the Screenplay That's the Problem

  danielkr-12011-12-05

  Hollywood is full of people who have taken basic screen writing courses, people who have been forced to see everything in terms of 3-act structure and what the protagonist wants and how he acts to achieve his goals. You can't swing a dead cat in the movie biz without hitting someone who has this stuff burned into their cerebral cortex. But somehow the producers did. If you don't know about classic screenplay structure it's just a boring movie that seems longer than its 91 minutes, but if you do it's a fascinating series of bad decisions. I was considering adding spoilers here but I'm not even sure you can spoil this story. It's an anti-story. The plus is that the photography is really quite lovely. If you are a trained CINEMATOGRAPHER, you might think this is pretty good.

• Interesting, Unusual Thriller

  Tommypest2005-08-25

  Manganelli has crafted an intriguing tale with an off-beat rhythm. Mellencamp is not great, and probably weighs the story down, but the other players (Terrylene & Louise Flecthcer) are in good form. Not all the film's threads and themes get wrapped up neatly by the end, but the ambiguity and lingering unease actually works with this different take on the genre. Definitely worth a look, even though it doesn't quite accomplish everything it sets out to do. There's also good use of upstate New York locations, and it's refreshing to see something that was not obviously faked in LA. Also recommended is the DVD extra about the film's unconventional financing and production.

• A beautiful, intelligent film.

  EmersonLA2002-11-12

  Robert Manganelli's After Image employees an extraordinarily rich cinematic palette. Relying on a sophisticated use of sound and image, often working on different expressive planes, After Image brings together two characters at crossroads in their lives. Joe, understatedly played by John Mellecamp, is a crime scene photographer who can no longer find meaning in his difficult career and decides to return to his childhood home. Laura, beautifully played by Terrylene, is a deaf woman who experiences premonitions. Her most recent visions bring her physically and spiritually close to Joe as they attempt to find and stop a vicious serial killer who preys on the innocent. There are a number of points that should be brought out. As director, Manganelli is in complete control of his medium and knows from scene to scene, moment to moment, where to lead an audience. Moreover, the subtle undertones of this film, slowly developed in rich poetic ways, makes it so much a cut above the ordinary American film offerings. Exquisitely using the backdrops of western New York and specifically the city of Rochester (home to Eastman Kodak), Manganelli reflects on the genuine human connections people make at very desperate moments in their lives. This is a film about being vulnerable, being melancholy, and also a film about extraordinary human acceptance and forgiveness. You will not be disappointed in this film. You will walk away knowing you have just seen a film directed and acted by people who clearly are very talented and know how to make intelligent films. You will also not be able to forget it because, like many great films, After Image speaks to you long after you have left the movie theater.

• After Image should have received more attention!

  mferryman2005-08-12

  After hearing about "After Image" for several years and waiting for it to be released on DVD, I finally was able to get my hands on a copy of this movie (fair warning to see this movie you will have to order it or rent it via one of those DVD movie places online). This movie was very smart and definitely should have received more attention than it did. The performances were incredible and I am just not saying that because I am a huge John Mellencamp fan. For its budget, After Image has the look and feel of any $50 million Hollywood major release. In fact, it is a much better movie than most major Hollywood releases I've paid to see recently. The cinematography is amazing and there is an underlying tension in this movie that keeps you guessing until the end. It is a character driven indie thriller with more going on than meets the eye. Definitely worth checking out!