The Jacket (2005)

A Gulf war veteran is wrongly sent to a mental institution for insane criminals, where he becomes the object of a doctor's experiments, and his life is completely affected by them.

Director:

John Maybury

Writers:

Tom Bleecker (story), Marc Rocco (story)

Stars:

Adrien Brody, Keira Knightley, Daniel Craig

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Adrien Brody	...	Jack Starks
Keira Knightley	...	Jackie Price
Kris Kristofferson	...	Dr. Thomas Becker
Jennifer Jason Leigh	...	Dr. Beth Lorenson
Kelly Lynch	...	Jean Price
Brad Renfro	...	The Stranger
Daniel Craig	...	Rudy Mackenzie
Steven Mackintosh	...	Dr. Hopkins
Brendan Coyle	...	Damon
Mackenzie Phillips	...	Nurse Harding
Laura Marano	...	Young Jackie
Jason Lewis	...	Officer Harrison
Richard Dillane	...	Captain Medley
Jonah Lotan	...	Intern #1
Angel Coulby	...	Intern #2

Storyline

The film centers on a wounded Gulf war veteran who returns to his native Vermont suffering from bouts of amnesia. He is hitching and gets picked up by a stranger, things go wrong when a cop pulls them over and is murdered by a stranger. The vet is wrongly accused of the killing and lands in an asylum. A disreputable doctor prescribes a course of experimental therapy, restraining him in a modified strength straight jacket-like device, and locks him away in a cadaver drawer in the basement morgue. During the course of his treatment, he gets flashbacks and visions of his future where he can foresee that he is to die in four days time; He just doesn't know how. And thus commences the classic race against time for this tortured veteran with an expiration date.

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Plot Keywords:

gulf war veteran | psychological experiment | strait jacket | insane asylum | time travel | 

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Taglines:

Terror has a new name.

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence, language and brief sexuality/nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros. [United States]

Country:

Germany USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 March 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

Regresiones de un hombre muerto

Filming Locations:

Bangour Village Hospital, Dechmont, West Lothian, Scotland, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$29,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,723,682, 6 March 2005, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$6,303,762, 18 December 2005

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$20,046,858, 18 June 2006

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mandalay Pictures, Warner Independent Pictures (WIP), 2929 Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min 94 min (TV)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

A coincidental "time travel paradox". The soldiers in the flashback sequence were Royal Marines Commandos, reservists from Scotland. Many of them had not long returned from Iraq, Op Telic, a.k.a. the Gulf War II, January to June 2003. The action sequence, to which these Marines contributed, in this movie, would have been set in Iraq sometime between 1990 and 1991.

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Goofs

During the group meeting (which is being monitored by a panel of reviewers), the first time that Daniel Craig as Mackenzie says the word "Organization", he pronounces it in the British fashion. In his subsequent utterances of that word he uses the American pronunciation.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Jack Starks: [Walking over to Iraqi child who's breathing hard] How's it going little man? You all right?
[Babak pulls out gun. Jack puts his hand up in a stop gesture but Babak shoots Jack in the head. Jack falls to the ground]

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Alternate Versions

There are 2 continuations to the last scene where Jackie gives Jack a ride and the sun shines behind them. In one version, we hear Jack screaming as Dr. Becker gets him out of the drawer. In the second Version, we see Jack has really died in Iraq.

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Connections

References On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)

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Soundtracks

Ooh La La! (Polka)
Written and Arranged by B. Laroche
Courtesy of BMG/Zomba Production Music

User Reviews

Outstantding!

I was fortunate enough to see this at Sundance on opening night and I thought it was absolutely BRILLIANT. Adrian Brody was incredible and I thought it was directed almost flawlessly. I highly recommend it.

The film really makes you think and I was disappointed not to be able to ask questions I had during the Q&A which followed the premiere. I think there are loads of things hidden in this film which you would have to see several times to catch. That is my idea of outstanding film making.

I could have done without the nudity which I saw no reason for. I think a love scene is much more erotic when you don't see anything. Body parts don't need to be shown. Most of us have decent imaginations. :-)

Chris