Dark Little Treat of a Scene

SPOILER ALERT (for a movie you will never see) called Dream Lover. If you like the idea of film noir, or if the film Double Indemnity means anything to you, stop reading this right now and go find a copy of this film. Shoot, I think you can watch the whole thing on the YouTubes interwebz you kids like to use.

I have just rewatched the ending to this movie three times in a row. I'm posting the very last words of the scene, and of the film. On paper it probably doesn't look like much. But the delivery in this whole scene is prime.

He: Who are you, Lena? Who will you be when you die?


She: You don't have the guts.


He: Don't I?


She: No Ray. You're too practical. And what about the consequences?


He: There are no consequences. That's the flaw in your plan. I'm crazy. You've driven me crazy.


She: That was the whole idea.


He: Well crazy people aren't responsible. Crazy people aren't legally responsible. Not guilty by reason of insanity. In a year, I'll be sane again. And they'll have to let me out. 


Okay, I know I've been fanwanking about Spader here a bit. But Got-dayum. This may not be the best movie he's ever done, but this may be one of his best pieces of acting ever.

Bold words, I know. Especially since I have barely touched a third of his film oeuvre, but this is striking me as really good. I mean---look, I just told you I watched the last ten minutes three times in a row.

The trick here is that we get all of the Spadery-goodness wrapped up in one character. But you don't even realize you're getting it, or that he's done it, until the credits roll. For the price of a single admission you get Sensitive!Spader, Schlemiel!Spader, Sexy!Spader, Breakdown!Spader, Crazy!Spader, and a special appearance of the legendary Shark!Spader (know him by his eyes, his cold, predatory, hypnotizing eyes).

Okay, let me take it out of Spaderisms and put it like this: what's done in this film is to take the Everyman role, place him in the WTF Is Going On plot, and have it sell, completely. Our protagonist is a nice guy, but not too nice. He loves his wife and wants to believe her, but he still has doubts. We suspect right along with him, probably more than him. And we get to watch him talk himself out it, fall for seduction, and develop the quirks, paranoia, rage and other emotions you'd imagine a real person going through in such a situation.

Lots of actors do great jobs playing characters that kind of blow our minds. Anthony Hopkin's Hannibal Lecter is great example. It's a stellar performance, and Sir Tony does the amazing job of making you believe in an unbelievable character. An unrelatable character. A person (most) people will never meet, yet we believe he exists.

But playing the character that you do know. The guy you could be, or could be your best friend. And watching *that* person go through a slow descent into a surreal crisis. Watching your Everyman evolve, adapt, or maybe just finally flex a muscle that was only hinted at earlier---that takes some talent.

I'm not doing a very good job here. In other movies, when the villain gets their comeuppance at the hands of our Finally-Driven-To-The-Edge hero, it's usually an accident. Or self defense. Or temporary insanity. Or just a nice satisfying bullet to the face that makes the audience feel good, but doesn't really necessarily jibe with the Hero's character. But it works for the plot, so. . .

What's amazing about what Spader does here is that it is totally within his character, within the realm of plot possibility, and even though it's surprising, it's still plausible. When our Hero gets his revenge, it's beyond revenge. And even though we know he's this sweet, loving, caring, Average Joe, we also know that he's smart enough, mad enough, has the history for it, and maybe just secretly shitty enough to pull it off.

The last scene is the corker. Because that's when it all gels. You get about 5 Spaders! in rapid succession, but it isn't hammy or overblown. It's just our Hero, taken to a logical conclusion. And maybe, just like all of us, with a little more of the abyss inside than we ever like to admit.