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JACK BE NIMBLE
One of the best genre items of recent years, this 1994 New
Zealand release is that rarity of rarities: A truly original horror film. A
brother and sister are split up as young children and forced to grow up among
abusive families, until one of them develops psychic powers...and that's all in
the first twenty minutes. Whatever else this film might be, boring it most
certainly is not. It's also made with great skill and contains solid
performances from the entire cast. Why aren't more horror movies this good?
The Package
The production's one "star," American Alexis Arquette
(of the prestigious Arquette acting clan), may be a real-life drag queen, but he
does brilliant work nonetheless as half of the central brother-sister duo (with
the most convincing New Zealand accent I've ever heard an American attempt).
His screen sister, Sarah Smuts-Kennedy, is even better.
Other standout work comes from the late Bruno Lawrence,
one of New Zealand's top actors, as Kennedy's abusive boyfriend. Predictably,
this top-notch film was released straight-to-video in this country, complete
with the inevitable lurid (and in this case misleading) box art. It may be
difficult to find, but search it out. It's worth it!
The Story
After Dora's psychic powers lead her to her long-lost
brother Jack, the two set off in search of their biological mother. They find
her, re-opening more than their share of old wounds; unfortunately, following in
their path are four psychotic sisters, the remaining survivors of Jack's adopted
family, ready for blood...
But let's not forget the story's many, many other
elements, which include a hypnosis machine, psychosis, child abuse and even a
hint of incest. In addition, the feelings evoked by Dora and Jack's re-encounter
with their biological mother feel genuine enough to invite speculation that
writer-director Garth Maxwell might have been an abandoned child himself. But he
always keeps the supernatural aspects of the story in view, even during the
"mushy" scenes. Truly, this film has something for everybody!
The Direction
While the story line might seem unwieldy, Maxwell keeps
JACK BE NIMBLE moving along at a lightning-fast pace, never allowing things to
become too complicated or obscure. It's clear that he's following no set rules,
either in his storytelling or his direction, which is good. Even better, he
manages to pull it off--JACK BE NIMBLE is never less than compelling. Of course,
Maxwell also includes a fair amount of sleazy violence, but then most of it
occurs at the beginning and (particularly) at the end. At times, this almost
feels like an art film...albeit an usually entertaining one.
Vital Statistics
JACK BE NIMBLE
Essential Productions/Triboro Entertainment Group
Director: Garth Maxwell
Producers: Jonathan Dowling, Kelly Rodgers
Screenwriters: Garth Maxwell, Rex Pilgrim
Cinematography: Don Duncan
Editor: John Gilbert
Cast: Alexis Arquette, Sarah Smuts-Kennedy, Bruno Lawrence