Firecracker (2004)
By: Michelle R. September 19, 2006.
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| 7 Arts (USA). Region 1, NTSC. 2.35:1 (16:9 enhanced). English DD 5.1, English DD 2.0. 112 minutes |
| The Movie |
| Cover Art |
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| Credits |
Director: Steve Balderson
Starring: Mike Patton,
Karen Black, Susan Traylor, Kathleen Wilhoite,
Jak Kendall
Screenplay: Steve Balderson
Music: Justin R. Durban,
Lindsay Anne Klemm, The Enigma
Country: USA |
Wamego, Kansas, mid-1950s: Shy, sensitive Jimmy
(Jak Kendall), a talented pianist, is relentlessly
physically and emotionally abused by his alcoholic,
redneck older brother David (Mike Patton), and stifled
by his fanatically religious mother (Karen Black).
Jimmy finds temporary solace from his hellish family
life in a traveling sideshow carnival, where he
meets an aging cabaret chanteuse, Sandra (Karen
Black). Captivated by her faded glamour, he sees
Sandra as his salvation, and begs her to let him
join the circus as an accompanying musician. Little
does Jimmy realise that Sandra's seemingly
perfect world is nightmarishly similar to his…she
desperately wants to return to her hometown but
is imprisoned and degraded by Frank, the sadistic
carnival owner (Mike Patton). Jimmy and Sandra's
friendship allows them both fledgling happiness,
and each strive for their own freedom. But the town's
white-picket fence facade is shattered upon the
disappearance and suspected murder of David, and
a subsequent investigation by the cluey Police Chief
Ed (Susan Traylor) opens a Pandora's Box of
deceit, cover-up, suffering, and denial…
Based
upon actual events, Firecracker is the result of seven years of meticulous research
and preparation by director/writer Steve Balderson,
and succeeds as a dark suspense drama, merging
a combination of arresting visual style, intense
plot development, and skilled acting. Karen Black
and Mike Patton shine in particular in their dual
roles as Eleanor/Sandra and David/Frank respectively.
Black's ability to transform between two
completely different characters - dowdy housewife
and mysterious singer – demonstrates how
accomplished this unfortunately overlooked actress
is. Patton, lead singer of Faith No More and Mr.
Bungle, gives a chilling, menacing performance
as David, injecting a genuine atmosphere of tension
into each scene he appears. He is a little over
the top in the part of Frank however, the only
letdown of an otherwise superb acting debut.
On the technical side, the photography, lighting
and camera angles are brilliantly executed, and
belie the constraints of the film's relatively
low budget. A stylistic high point is the alternation
between black and white and colour throughout
the movie – scenes at the carnival have
been shot in vivid, saturated 'candy-colour'
– a representation of possible freedom for
Jimmy, whilst in contrast, the stuffy, repressed
town of Wamego is stuck in the confines of stark
black and white. |
| Video |
| Firecracker is presented in a
crisp, clean 16x9 widescreen transfer that gives
much justice to the exaggerated Technicolor scheme
– colours almost 'jump' off the
screen. |
| Audio |
| Audio is available in Dolby 2.0 and 5.1 tracks,
and on both mixes dialogue, sound and music is clear
and at correct levels. The film's soundtrack,
a haunting and effective mix of dramatic cues and
piano solos, soars out of the speakers, further
drawing the viewer into 1950's small-town
USA. |
| Extra Features |
| Firecracker's original
theatrical trailer and audio commentary with director
Balderson, who presents an occasionally dry but
very in-depth and informative interpretation of
the film. |
| The Verdict |
| A stunning example of independent filmmaking from
a vastly talented cast and crew, Firecracker is a slow-burning fuse of a movie, fueled by the
series of dark and disturbing events in the narrative,
and a harrowing mood which remains long after the
conclusion. Steve Balderson is definitely a name
to watch out for in future… |
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