Albino Alligator

Kevin Spacey is, of course, one of the best actors we have, and he shows talent in his first time out as director in this crime story. Specifically, he does a good job creating a tense atmosphere in such a claustrophobic environment as a bar. And although there's a lot of camera movement, it's not overdone. Also, he's good with his actors, especially Dillon, Dunaway, and Sinise.

But the movie suggests Spacey should learn about reading scripts next time. The movie harks back to films like PETRIFIED FOREST, but is little more than a clone of them, and writer Christian Forte often falls back on obscenities to substitute for character development and plot. And some of the scenes strain credulity, like the ending.

As everyone already knows, Kevin Spacey is an extremely good actor who never does a bad job acting. The man is also a great singer (check out the soundtrack to "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil"), so it's not a surprise that he turns out to be multitalented; he's obviously a great director as well. This is the first movie he has ever made and it is such an engrossing and interesting movie. The acting is also superb, Matt Dillon doing such a great job was a surprise to me. The story itself is also interesting, and I liked the fact that this movie was in many ways theatrical. It doesn't work in every movie, but with this premise it worked out fine. Let's hope Spacey directs many more movies!

In the past I have enjoyed a number of movies involving hostage taking, from "Dog Day Afternoon" to "The Negotiator". So I was pretty sure I would enjoy "Albino Alligator". While the movie is not without merit, overall I felt let down. I will say the movie is well made for a low budget, there is some good acting, and some humor in the movie is funny. But there are a number of problems. For one thing, none of the characters - hostage takers, the chief ATF agent, nor the hostages - are made to be colorful or compelling enough. And I found the central story to be surprisingly dull. There is little tension, the movie moves VERY slowly, and the movie resorts to using clichés found in other hostage movies instead of trying to put a new spin on things. While this isn't an awful movie, it is pretty flat, and you'd be better off instead rewatching those movies I mentioned in the first sentence of this review.

When a new screenwriter is trying to get his script made, the best way to draw attention (nee money) is to attach a star, someone with visibility, someone bankable. Surprisingly, I don't think stars really read a lot of scripts, certainly not all the way through, certainly not with a mindset toward how to make this into a good, completed film.

At the time this film was made, Kevin Spacey was hot, very hot. His performances in Seven, Swimming with Sharks, and The Usual Suspects had brought him not only rave reviews, but an Academy Award. His want to direct, this inherent heat, plus his ability to attract additional star power, namely Faye Dunaway, Matt Dillon, and Gary Sinise, and a spec script from a first time writer had the financial backing it needed.

Maybe Albino Alligator would have been a weak film in even the most accomplished hands, it certainly is a weak film in this first time director's. The premise is sketchy, the through line distorted and vague. Some of the characterizations seem forced, or contrived, as if, for example, Faye Dunaway (or Gary Sinise)'s part were quickly created or expanded to accommodate their agreeing to particpate.

Many good young film makers are making daring, exciting, edgy films right now. This is not one of them.

There are movies that are made because the studios know they'll make money. There are the movies that are made because someone believed they would and they held out long enough to get them made. Then there are the "actor's movies," the ones any actor worth his/her salt would love to make themselves. This is Kevin Spacey's "actor's movie." That's not a bad term in the least. The majority of the movie is set inside a New Orleans bar, but the scenery doesn't get tiresome. This is due to the fantastic performances of the cast. I love it when I can watch a movie and forget that the person I'm watching is otherwise known as Gary Sinise, Faye Dunaway, or Viggo Mortenson.

The film is also a classic tale of inhumanity, on how far people need to or will go to save their own skin, on choices. It sounds cliché, but the movie doesn't come across that way in the least. Overall, I recommend the film for a lazy Saturday afternoon, like it was for me.