Humanity always needs someone to save them, that is their misfortune and their salvation. In battling his many weaknesses, man is confronted with the evidence of understanding the other, radiating a word of encouragement, an open, unarmed smile, without eyebrows, unafraid of being labeled crazy, a look of kindness to others To judge, of empathy, it often requires such sacrifice that it is as if we are actually taking a long journey to that life where the circumstances we think are the most absurd are the most mundane. This is why the life of every living thing on earth is so complex, because it is shrouded in a plethora of questions hidden under a cloak of problems that we can only get rid of when we have access to the darkest part of our mind. At the end of this superficially simple experience, we become aware of ourselves and the role we play in our own lives. Only then are we able to measure the possible relevance we would have in the history of those around us.
We learn early on that the devil is never as ugly as he is made out to be. Manifestations of evil haunt human existence in the most unexpected forms, they are often even contradictorily beautiful, and for that very reason they kindle a rare delicacy of which few are capable, igniting in us the most basic preservation instinct that no one knows exactly how or from where , but in the end it serves us much more than just a protector: it becomes a powerful guide that we use wherever risk proves imperative. “The Bone Collector” (1999) can be seen from the most unusual perspectives, perhaps delusional, but always appropriate. Phillip Noyce is definitely not directing an ordinary story; Full of subplots, the film unfolds the lives of two tragedystricken characters who come together to solve a dark and thoughtprovoking mystery.
Jeremy Iacone’s screenplay develops the central theme of the plot, but it’s unmistakably clear that it really counts on the strength of its protagonists and nurtures a legitimate love for them to encourage that feeling in the viewer as well. And it’s no wonder: Behind them are two of Hollywood’s most beloved actors, known for transferring effortlessly into the guys who embody the charisma they display, both on and off the frame. Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie materialize a chemistry that can be highly questioned for several reasons they had never worked together before; he was already a veteran, and Jolie, though then reasonably well known for almost damn if sublime productions like ‘Gia Fame and Destruction’ (1998) directed by Michael Cristofer, could only perform as an interpreter in Girl Interrupted ( 1999), by James Mangold.Washington, as always, absorbs the essence of his incontinent character, and despite always finding himself in the same scenario due to a catastrophic event illustrated by a flash in the dry cut, he makes his Lincoln Rhyme the adornment of the story , until Jolie shows up the hunk. Both are cops, but Noyce provides viewers with the elements that lead to the obvious conclusion that they don’t orbit the exact same universe. Moments later, the director makes even clearer why they met: Rhyme, one of the most renowned forensic scientists in the USA is commissioned by the police to solve the crime suggested in the title. Amelia Donaghy, the ranger played by Jolie, is forced to leave the group dedicated to the prevention of underage crimes there is a focus for a stimulating discussion about abusive bosses and frustrated subordinates and to adjust to this unlikely partner . Until their relationship becomes closer than they could ever have imagined.
Far beyond the narrative of the signature crime thriller, “The Bone Collector” is interesting for the way Noyce works out the intricacies of a neverending romance, punctuated by the tortured gaze Rhyme has on his own life, the burden of which he is carries he tries to free himself a few times. At the end, the Christmas party scene in which he appears with Amelia gives a hint that this would be the beginning of a wonderful friendship after all. Then his agony will come to a welldeserved end.
Movie: The Bone Collector
Direction: Philip Noyce
Year: 1999
genres: Thriller/Drama/Action
note: 8/10