The Shadow Box

THE SHADOW BOX is a film with some very good actors (Plummer, Woodward)and directed by Paul Newman, about three terminally ill patients who spend their last days in an experimental retreat. Sounds corny? Well, it's not corny, but the biggest problem is that it's all too obvious that this is derived from a play. The actors do their best, but...well, they're just acting and not creating real-life characters. Paul Newman is a very good actor (understatement!), and I think he should stick to that. His direction is very sober, almost clinical and we don't get to care about these characters. And that's a real pity, given the premise. 6/10