The Underneath (1995)
It should be said that it took either courage or chutzpah for director Steven Soderbergh to fashion a re-make of one of the greatest of noir films, Criss Cross (1949) for his fourth film project. Re-makes however tend to pale in comparison to the originals. The Underneath is a good example of an attempt that missed the mark by a wide margin.
The screenplay by Sam Lowry and Daniel Fuchs did manage to copy the main plot points of the original: man returns to hometown; rekindles a realtionship with former lover; takes job as armored car driver: runs afoul of former lover’s secret lover; man enlists that guy to help in armored car robbery; man gets hurt; lover double crosses him; she is in turn double crossed (“criss cross”).
However the cards were reshuffled in some critical ways, both in the writing and in the mood of the picture. Soderbergh used some interesting filtering and camera angles, but his repetitive use of extreme closeups provided a rather senseless claustrophobic feel, which, combined with the laconic performance of the lead (Peter Gallagher), made the film a little incoherent and misty. The other two characters in the sordid triangle, played by Alison Elliot and William Frichtner both turned in good performances, yet the writing tended to strain credulity. There were also memorable parts for Joe Don Baker, Shelley Duvall, and the lovely Anjanette Comer.
There was a very tasty and spare music score done by Cliff Martinez, formerly of he Red Hot Chili Peppers and Captain Beefheart. Martinez has worked with Soderbergh on several films.
Gallagher, at aged 40, was a strikingly handsome actor—almost to the point of prettiness. Yet I’ve always felt that he had a limited range, and it shows here. The picture is a bit of a mess of a film, and it’s doubtful that a heftier actor could have put it over the top.
Doc’s rating: 4/10