I've never been a fan of Shia LaBeouf. I've never hated him
either. For me he's just been there on the fringes of good movies, never a name
I would associate with mega-stardom. I'm beginning to think that this may be
the case for him the rest of his career. He's begun to try and make himself out
to be edgy with his choices in roles and his antics in the public eye. This
being a review you might wonder why I mention it. I do so because all of those
things combine to take away from what might be a good actor trying to do good
work. If he would just bypass all the hullabaloo that goes with being an actor
and stick to performing he could become a star.
CHARLIE COUNTRYMAN features LaBeouf as the title character,
a young man whose mother has just died and who seems to have no idea what to do
with his life. But Charlie also has a unique gift that he doesn't tell anyone
about. Much like the child in THE SIXTH SENSE, Charlie can see dead people
moments after they perish. In the hospital he sees his mother talking to him in
the hallway and telling him he should take time to travel and see Bucharest.
Sensing that this is his fate, Charlie follows her suggestion.
On the plane to Bucharest Charlie is seated next to Victor,
a Bucharest native returning from seeing his much loved Chicago Cubs play
baseball. They strike up a conversation and immediate friendship with Victor
showing Charlie the gift he has for his daughter. Both doze off and Charlie
wakes to find Victor deceased and lying on his shoulder. Then he begins a last
conversation with the now dead Victor who gives him a message to pass along to
his daughter.
At the airport Charlie is questioned by the police and then
released. He meets Victor's daughter Gabi (Evan Rachel Wood), a cellist in the
Bucharest symphony, and passes along the message Victor asked him to. For
Charlie it is love at first site. He tries to get closer to her, eventually
tracking her down to where she performs. It is obvious there is a mutual attraction
but their conversation is interrupted by Gabi's ex-husband Nigel (Mads
Mikkelson), a sadistic criminal who continues to force himself into her life.
Given instructions on how to reach a local youth hostel to
stay in, Charlie arrives and meets his two roommates Karl (Rupert Gint) and Luc
(James Buckley), complete goofballs who are more interested in being wasted
than anything else. After slipping Charlie some ecstasy the trio hits a strip
club where Karl is hoping to find release from the 4 Viagra tabs he took.
Unfortunately for him he does which the proprietor of the establishment, Darko
(Til Schweiger) charges a lot extra for. When he notices Charlie eyeing a
picture on the wall that has both Gabi and Nigel in it, he offers them a chance
to pay up with something other than cash. He wants Charlie to bring Nigel to
him.
From there the movie moves along what could have been a
predictable path but one that takes a few twists and turns along the way.
Charlie must reach out to Gabi in the hopes that he can actually have her for
his own but at the same time he must seek her help in taking Nigel to Darko. Nigel,
a full blown psychopath, will obviously do all he can to make sure he this
doesn't happen if he finds out. Can Charlie convince her to help him? Can the
two of them find love in this dark and dangerous place?
While the ability to talk to dead people plays some
important moments in his life, the movie doesn't focus on that and instead
focuses on Charlie and the love he finds. LaBeouf does a good job here as
Charlie, a young man way out of his league in terms of what is going on around
him. Wood as Gabi does a fine job as well even though numerous critics have
said the part should have been played by a Romanian. For my money she does
fine. Standing out though is Mikkelson who exudes charm and sophistication on
one hand and terrifying murderous intent on the other. I can't remember an
actor doing this this easily since Robert Mitchum in NIGHT OF THE HUNTER.
This may not have been a box office hit, it might not have
even played in your neighborhood, but it is a film that's worth picking up and
watching. Some scenes may make it a movie you won't want to add to your
collection but it will offer an interesting, though definitely adult, story.
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