Limousine Confessions

 Deconstructing Society gives us   Paranoiac Food for Thought 

  By Morgan P Salvo

 Cosmopolis might be Cronenberg’s most personal film and that in itself is pretty scary. From the guy who brought us Rabid, Scanners, The Fly, Videodrome and History of Violence (to name a few) it seems the director has gone back to the high tech stuff that fueled his version of William Burroughs’ Naked Lunch and his film called Crash (not the one that sucked) Based on Don Delillo’s novel Cronenberg uses the source material surreptitiously to weave a web of futility. There’s an “inside is safe and outside is turmoil” feel to this flick. Very twisted this film is a vehicle for socio-political discussion and rants about corporate greed, how the media buffers the truth, focusing in broad strokes on what is really wrong with this country and basically how truly paranoid a society we’ve become .

 Beginning with a Jackson Pollock-esque painting credits this film contains a weird vibe throughout. Robert Pattison is going all out to Anti-Twilight his career and good for him. He holds his own in this swirling nonsensical descent into madness, decay and social unrest. Pattison is no vampire, instead he plays a paralyzed zombie of a human being, cold and uncalculating, about to fall into the abyss. Pattison’s Rich kid entrepreneur billionaire Eric Packard’s only concern seems to be getting a haircut. But due to a dead celebrity’s funeral and the President being in town, traffic is at a stand still. Plus on top of all that, his cryptic bodyguard (Kevin Duran) has informed him that he has it on good authority that the rich businessman is in imminent danger. So the slow traveling limo cause Packard to run into a cavalcade of characters that debate him on the meaning of life, marketing strategies, dreams and his reign of power.

Borderline esoteric and mystery thriller we are left to keep guessing as to why we’re watching what we are and what motivates the characters. Basically it’s a big yak fest that takes place in Packard’s limousine with one extremely different person after another all delivering crazy play-like monologues in claustrophobic ambience. Eric's dedicated disciples creep into the limo, gab about what they need to and then disappear back into the city. There’s his financial advisor, cool and clinical (Samantha Morton), his sex starved art dealer (Juliette Binoche) his financial advisor sweat-soaked from a jog (Emily Hampshire), a couple of whiz kids computer geeks and even a doctor to perform a prostate exam,( the results of his having a asymmetrical prostate garners some laughable material later). Even a rapper shows up for a monologue and a hug.

For the first hour I was ready to bail with all the characters gargling poetic oddball innuendoes and spewing existential bile in this strange guessing game manner and all the while taking place in this silent soundproofed car ride devoid of any musical accompaniment.  Although it was a chore to get through in retrospect Cosmopolis becomes one of the most genius movies I’ve ever seen.

About midway we get a twist. There’s violence and then introspection as the inevitable haircut gets underway. While Packard’s chauffeur and barber exchange cab stories, philosophies of life and gratuitously dished out nuggets of wisdom, the George Burns quote came to mind (intentional I’m sure) “Too bad the only people who know how to run the country are busy driving cabs and cutting hair” The botched haircut is ultra revealing as to the upcoming breakdown of one’s character and the fall of an empire.

Through dark dry wit some of the things said are hilarious and painfully about what plagues us all. A strange blonde woman who he keeps spotting on the street and gets out to converse with eventually is revealed to be his wife. Their marriage is slipping away and they share all three meals together (breakfast, lunch, dinner) and here Cronenberg deftly zeroes in on failed marriages and domestic connections or lack thereof at mealtime while taking a jab at meaningless relationships

In the first half hour at some point I thought I saw Paul Giamatti in the background and sure enough he shows up in a tour-de-force performance that solidifies his acting prowess as almost untouchable. His amazing and Orwellian insane rant about self loathing and human nature exposes an extremely dark and humorous vision about consumerism, adulation and idolatry as he explains “Violence needs a purpose”. 

It must be pointed out that the ever present meticulous detail to the things onscreen always give you more than a chance to soak up the surroundings and goings on outside 

It exposes inherent wisdom and esoteric surrealism with an array of metaphors and recounting storytelling.

Sardonically and sarcastically yet always played straight we are treated to Rats as currency and brilliant insights into what is referred to as “Cyber Capital”. Marketing theories are bashed to smithereens. Anarchy prevails outside as the snail crawling limo proceeds people are spray painting his limo, carrying rats and chucking them at people.

This bleak commentary on where society is headed also takes a big stab at the occupy Wall Street movement while attempting to fumigate capitalism. Cronenberg’s take on man’s inhumanity to man allows us to come away with reeling thoughts worthy of debate for years to come and proof positive that  true crime is in your head.  

The indelible creepy Cronenberg stamp on Cosmopolis is unlike anything he’s ever done. His metaphysical take on the world and what’s wrong with it is relentless as he flawlessly points out that the microscopic down fall of life, as we know it, can happen in one nightmarish glimpse. Even if it takes a while to get out of first gear, that’s still a damn fine wake up call.  

Cosmopolis

Starring Robert Pattison

Directed by David Cronenberg

Rated R

3 ½ stars