I caught this on TV late at night. Thought it would just be some
typical 80's slasher movie, but I was pleasantly surprised to see
what a genuinely well-made thriller this was. It's a basic potboiler
story, but thoughtfully executed and James Spader is excellent in a
dual role as twin brothers. It's got a little bit of everything --
reincarnating the Jack the Ripper myth, twin brothers who are (of
course) total opposites, a bit of the paranormal, a great whodunit
mystery, and some genuinely creepy scenes. Spader really makes
this watchable -- the story's solid enough, but his performance is
just so much fun to watch. He plays one twin, who is the affable,
friendly doctor who works in a local free clinic, and then his
anti-hero bad-boy twin brother who works a minimum-wage job,
has shady connections, but ultimately shares his brother's sense
of justice and good heart. And Spader's performance isn't the
typical uber-yuppie, not a whiny preppy wimp, and not a total
psychopath. He's just playing an average guy trying to do the right
thing, save the girl, and clear his brother's name by finding the real
murderer. It's good stuff! For James Spader fans, I think it's a great
chance to see him do yet another unique job of character
interpretation.
