One would think that there isn't a soul on this planet over
30 who hasn't heard the story of the monkey's paw or some form of that story.
The original story involved a couple whose son had just died and then wished
that come back to life only to be horrified when his corpse arrives at their
door. The motto of the story was be careful what you wish for. With the movie
THE MONKEY'S PAW, that story is given a new twists that entertains and yet
never turns off its audience.
Jake (C.J. Thomason) works in a safety equipment plant in
New Orleans. He's having a rough go of things with his mother dealing with
cancer, his ex-girlfriend now the wife of the plant's owner and Gillespie
(David Hugh Kelly), his supervisor, giving him a hard time about the job he's
doing. Jake's friend Cobb (Stephen Lang) is a goof off and trouble maker who
tells him not to worry. When a shipment is light his supervisor is fired and he
blames Jake.
That night at the local bar Jake first runs into Cobb and
complains about the problems he's facing. Cobb in turn tells him about having a
son he is not allowed to see do to a restraining order and to stop feeling
sorry for himself. The pair runs into Gillespie sitting alone drinking and as
they discuss their problems Gillespie shows Jake a trinket, a mummified
monkey's paw that his father left him. He then tells him the story of how the
paw is supposed to grant a person 3 wishes and can't be passed on to someone
else until all 3 have been taken. Jake thinks this is a joke and wishes for the
hot car parked out front. When Cobb tries to take the paw for himself Gillespie
stops him and reminds him that until Jake finishes all of his wishes it can't
be passed to another.
Now completely intoxicate, Jake and Cobb find the car still
parked out front unlocked and with the keys still in it after the bar closes.
They take off in the care and stop by their boss' house where Jake hopes to
talk to his ex with the hope of her helping get Gillespie his job back. That
doesn't work and they leave. Driving down the road they swerve to avoid an
alligator in the road. The car crashes into a tree throwing Cobb through the
front window and apparently killing him. Jake then wishes he were alive again
and vacates the scene of the accident before he can be associated with it.
Of course Cobb rises, acting quite differently than he has
in the past. He begins leaving behind a trail of bodies as he attempts to force
Jake to use his last wish to reunite him with his son. As the victims of his
attack become friends and family close to Jake, Jake must locate the trinket he
tossed aside earlier and try to placate Cobb. If not, all will be lost.
The thing that makes this film the most interesting revolves
around the accident and the results of that accident. As the movie progresses
you at first think that perhaps the paw worked and Cobb was actually risen from
the dead. But with each passing moment and due to several other items you see,
you then begin to consider the possibility that Cobb didn't actually die but
that a part of him inside did. How else to explain the actions that he goes
through after the accident? Whether or not he is or isn't dead makes for an
interesting story.
The movie was made for Chiller, the horror channel offered
via cable. It offers a few gruesome scenes but nothing near as graphic as that
seen on shows like THE WALKING DEAD. Because of that this movie might make a
great horror film for younger viewers though perhaps not too young. Sure there
are a few gore scenes but they are pretty tame.
The acting seen here isn't the best with the weakest
performance coming from Michelle Pierce as Olivia, Jake's ex. The best
performance comes from Lang as Cobb displaying what we perceive early on as a
soul that's dark to start with but who changes to a more evil person once the
accident takes place. Lang ties together that dangerous feeling with sympathy
for a man in pain from being taken from his son. It's a more in depth character
than seen on the surface and he brings that character to life.
Some might not think this movie goes far enough but for me
the end product was fine. It offered a good horror story, put that new twist of
is he or isn't he to a classic tale and was done in such a way that didn't
showed you didn't have to go to extremes to get the job done. If you like a
good horror story then this film is worth watching.
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