Action Fest 2010: DIRTY MIND Review
[This review originally appeared leading in to Dirty Mind's Belgian release. With the film now appearing at Action Fest we hereby present it to you again.]
Diego has a problem. An accident has left the radically introverted stunt technician with brain damage, his mind no longer able to process concepts like 'risk' or 'consequence'. And if Diego can't recognize potential consequences to himself you can bet he's not about to put any consideration into the consequences for others. But, really, that's not the main problem. The main problem is that Diego is fully aware of his injury and he likes it.
Having toiled long in the shadow of his brother Cisse, a man who lands the jobs and glory and women based on bluster and bravado while Diego himself - the real brains and talent of the organization - remains completely forgotten in the background. And this is his opportunity to change everything, to leave everything he doesn't like about himself in the past. Renaming himself Tony T - TNT - the awkward Diego becomes a smooth talking, utterly fearless ladies man, loving life as doors and legs suddenly open to him, the only one able to resist his advances being the beautiful neurosurgeon treating his ailment.
Dirty Mind is the sophomore feature from Belgium's Pieter Van Hees and it's hard to imagine a film more different his debut effort, the chillingly atmospheric Left Bank. Every bit as brash and energetic as its lead character Dirty Mind spends most of its run time as voyeuristic wish fulfillment, inviting its audience to simply strap in and enjoy the ride as Tony T does everything they wish they had the nerve to do themselves - from smashing cars, to bedding women, to shooting his mouth off at will. Van Hees is too smart by far to leave the film at that level - Tony's lifestyle and shoddy decisions eventually catch up to him in dramatic and traumatic fashion - but good god it's fun while it lasts.
Visually Dirty Mind is a strange and compelling beast with Van Hees matching pulp b-movie stunts - damn good ones, too - with a high art shooting style that wouldn't be out of place in a Chris Doyle lensed film. It's a mix that not only makes for compelling viewing but also mirrors the basic split both in Diego / Tony T and in Van Hees himself. The character comparison is obvious - Diego pulled between competing impulses and paths - and the director seems to be wrestling with a similar split in himself, pulled between a love for pulp and the desire to make something a little more serious, a little more meaningful. It requires a delicate balancing act from the director - step too far in one direction and you lose the entertainment value, too far the other direction and the 'serious' elements become ridiculous - and it's one that Van Hees very nearly pulls off, the film unravelling some in the final act with an ending that feels fairly slapped together.
Soft ending or no, Dirty Mind is an entertaining, compelling piece of work from a director who is quickly establishing himself as one of Europe's brightest up and coming talents. It's also a film that practically screams out 'remake', with smart casting and a quality director Dirty Mind could be left almost exactly as-is and become a huge hit for Hollywood. Take a look at the original before that happens.
