Today I'll be talking about the 1990 suspense thriller Flatliners, starring Kiefer Sutherland, Kevin Bacon and Julia Roberts, and directed by Joel Schumacher. The premise involves a group of medical students who each decide to briefly experience death, hoping to prove once and for all what happens in the afterlife. But each character unwittingly brings something back with them, and they all end up haunted by demons from their past. Flatliners got mixed reviews but made a solid profit upon its release and later became a bit of a cult favorite. Aaaand therefore Hollywood released a
But does the film actually work? Let's take a closer look.
The Awesome
Acting
The whole cast is quite good in this film, from Keifer Sutherland's turn as the tormented visionary and original "flatliner" Nelson Wright, to Kevin Bacon as the likable pragmatist David Labraccio, to Julia Roberts as the generous and gentle Rachel Manus, to Oliver Platt and William Baldwin as the sarcastic worrier Randy Steckle and the hopeless horndog Joe Hurley, respectively. Each actor gets clear territory to explore, and each of them brings their character to life admirably. The two standouts are Sutherland and Bacon, who begin the film as best friends and gradually become romantic rivals as the story progresses. I especially like the scene when they all confront Nelson outside David's apartment and all the cards are laid on the table. Solid work all around.
A fine cast. And handsome too. Except Platt. Sorry, that was mean.... |
Cinematography
Schumacher and Director of Photography Jan de Bont fill the frame with a visual richness and atmosphere that lends itself to the material and the mood. Chicago's Loyola University served as the bulk of the film's locations, giving everything a very old-world, gothic feel. The breathtaking opening helicopter shot for example takes the viewer across Lake Michigan right up to Kiefer as he stands on West Devon Ave. This is a fine-looking film.
One of the most striking zoom-in shots I can recall. |
Concept
The whole idea of a med student voluntarily dying so he can be revived with the secrets of life and death is certainly intriguing and creative. It's oddly relatable on some level - who wouldn't want to know what lies beyond and live to tell about it? Not to mention it's ripe material for farming cinematic suspense. After all, reviving someone who's clinically dead is no exact science and there's little room for error. The film doesn't explore this theme nearly as effectively as it could have (more on that in a bit), but the initial story idea was pretty inspired.