K-PAX (2001)

Director:

Iain Softley

Writers (WGA):

Gene Brewer (novel)
Charles Leavitt (screenplay)

Release Date:

26 October 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Is he crazy?...or is he light years ahead of us?

Plot:

Prot is a patient at a mental hospital who claims to be from a far away planet. His psychiatrist tries to help him, only to begin to doubt his own explanations. |

Plot Keywords:

Psychiatrist | Hospital | Thorazine | 1980s | Vegetarian

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Kevin Spacey	...	Prot
Jeff Bridges	...	Dr. Mark Powell
Mary McCormack	...	Rachel Powell
Alfre Woodard	...	Dr. Claudia Villars
David Patrick Kelly	...	Howie
Saul Williams	...	Ernie
Peter Gerety	...	Sal
Celia Weston	...	Doris Archer
Ajay Naidu	...	Dr. Chakraborty
Tracy Vilar	...	Maria
Melanee Murray	...	Bess
John Toles-Bey	...	Russell
Kimberly Scott	...	Joyce Trexler
Conchata Ferrell	...	Betty McAllister
Vincent Laresca	...	Navarro

Also Known As:

K-PAX - Alles ist möglich (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for a sequence of violent images, and brief language and sensuality.

Runtime:

120 min

Country:

USA | Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Brazil:12 | USA:PG-13 (certificate #38462) | Iceland:L | South Korea:12 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:PG | Finland:K-11 | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIA | Ireland:12 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:11 | Peru:14 | Philippines:PG-13 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12

Filming Locations:

Arvin, California, USA

Company:

IMF Internationale Medien und Film GmbH & Co. 2. Produktions KG

Trivia:

The original plan was that Will Smith was to play Prot and Kevin Spacey Dr. Mark Powell. When Smith pulled out of the role, Spacey decided to play Prot.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Mark Powell runs off the train when he sees "505" on Prot's pencil, he is not carrying a bag. However, when he is at the telephone booth he is carrying a bag.

Quotes:

Dr. Chakraborty: He most definitely has a sensitivity to white light, but I think it's his range that you'll find interesting.
Dr. Mark Powell: What am I looking at?
Dr. Chakraborty: Uh, he can detect light at a wavelength of up to 300 to 400 angstroms. Ultraviolet. Of course, Prot's explanation is that due to his planet's peculiar quality of light caused by its two suns, K-PAXians are used to light conditions much like our twilight most of the time.
Dr. Mark Powell: Whoa, w-wait, wait a minute. Uh, Chuck, I didn't think human beings could see ultraviolet light.
[...]

Movie Connections:

References Fearless (1993)

Soundtrack:

Rocket Man

Inspired storytelling

K-Pax is a very intriguing film. Is Prot (Kevin Spacey) really an alien, or is he a mentally deranged human who just thinks he is an alien? That is the question that Dr. Powell (Jeff Bridges) must answer before the self proclaimed deadline that Prot sets for his departure from Earth.

As the film unfolds and more evidence is uncovered, both theories grow in credibility. His ability to map from memory the area of the galaxy where his home planet is located indicates a knowledge that no human could possibly possess. Yet the hypnosis sessions lead us to a real person with a very real and traumatic life, filled with devastating events that could have caused such a personality aberration. The ending seems to give the answer, but is just ambiguous enough to make you wonder if you really know. Normally, I don't like lady or tiger endings, but this one is tantalizing. I have my own theory that fits all the clues, but I don't know that my theory is any more correct than anyone else's.

Director Iain Softley (`Wings of the Dove') spins the tale delicately, with great skill. This is a rare example of the director staying in the shadows and inducing outstanding acting performances out of talented actors to let the story dominate. This is not to say that the directing is technically inferior, because it is excellent. However, Softley remains unobtrusive, delivering great power through the use of subtlety, a pleasant change from today's vanguard directors who visually grab and shake the viewer as if to scream, `Look how brilliant I am!'

Kevin Spacey once again delivers a marvelous performance as Prot. This is a part that is extraordinarily demanding, requiring Spacey to render the cool and logical Prot one minute, and then switch gears to conjure his tormented alter ego under hypnosis the next. Spacey is so believable as both alien and human, it makes the viewer's task that much more difficult. Jeff Bridges is also terrific as the relentless psychologist who becomes obsessed with learning the truth about Prot.

This is inspired storytelling for the thoughtful viewer. I rated it a 9/10. If you must have closure at the end of a film, this movie will be very frustrating. However, if you like a fascinating mystery that keeps you thinking long after the credits, you won't be disappointed.