I watched this crazy movie, The Jacket, tonight. I was in the shopette, waiting in line at Subway, and the cover looked interesting, so I picked it up for rental.

It’s got Adrian Brody(who was great in The Pianist, and not-so-great-but-look-at-what-he-had-to-work-with in The Village) and Kiera Knightly (who does her first on-screen nudity, woo-hoo!). There’s a strong supporting cast, so the acting is very good. The story, though, not so much. The problem is the pacing, I suppose, because for nearly the entire first half you are just sort of wondering what’s going on, what’s going to happen, what kind of movie is this, and so forth. It takes away from the enjoyment, because the movie is billed as a thriller, but there’s nothing thrilling happening.

That’s not to say what’s there isn’t good, but it’s a violation of my give-me-what-I-expect-and-you-are-a-good-movie system, so I can’t honestly call this a good movie. Let’s call it “not bad”. It’s reminescent of The Butterfly Effect, because of the “time travelling mentally” premise, although the apparent lack of cause-and-effect is a little bothering. It’s not anywhere close to being a thriller, and I was expecting a spooky movie. It’s more of a drama in an insane asylum, call it One Flew Over the Butterfly’s Nest, and you would be very close to the mark.

If that sounds good to you, then check it out.