From /tmp/sf.17355 Thu Jun 3 23:56:28 1993 Xref: lysator.liu.se rec.arts.movies.reviews:338 rec.arts.sf.reviews:94 Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews,rec.arts.sf.reviews Path: lysator.liu.se!isy!liuida!sunic!uunet!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!ames!pacbell.com!att-out!cbnewsj!ecl From: blake7@cc.bellcore.com (berardinelli,james) Subject: REVIEW: DAYBREAK Reply-To: blake7@cc.bellcore.com (berardinelli,james) Organization: Bellcore, Livingston, NJ Date: Wed, 12 May 1993 19:35:40 GMT Approved: ecl@cbnewsj.att.com Message-ID: Followup-To: rec.arts.movies Summary: r.a.m.r. #01894 Keywords: author=Berardinelli Sender: ecl@cbnewsj.cb.att.com (Evelyn C. Leeper) Lines: 101 [Followups directed to rec.arts.movies. -Moderator] DAYBREAK A film review by James Berardinelli Copyright 1993 James Berardinelli Rating: 6.2 out of 10 (C, ** out of ****) First Air Date: 5/8/93 Running Length: 1:29 Rated: R (Violence, nudity, sex, language, mature themes) Starring: Cuba Gooding Jr., Moira Kelly, Omar Eppes, Martha Plimpton, Alice Drummond Director: Stephen Tolkin Producer: John Bard Manulis Screenplay: Stephen Tolkin based on the play Beirut by Alan Bowne Music: Michel Colombier Released by HBO Showcase DAYBREAK, a made-for-HBO movie, tells the story of a group of rebels and their struggles against the totalitarian government that has the United States in its grasp. The film takes place in New York City in the "near future" during a time when a sizable portion of the country's population has become infected by a fatal sexually-transmitted disease. Those so diagnosed are put into care centers that are little better than concentration camps. Getting caught escaping from one of those places results in execution. In the midst of this bleak landscape, Blue (Moira Kelly) meets Torch (Cuba Gooding Jr.), the leader of a group of rebels. Immediately attracted to both him and his cause, Blue actively seeks to join the band. She finds out, however, that the work involved is far more dangerous--and violent--than handing out seditious literature. DAYBREAK is an easy movie to review, because its strengths and weaknesses are obvious. Unfortunately, there are more of the latter than the former. Supposedly a science fiction tale, DAYBREAK is actually a morality play. Although AIDS is never mentioned by name as the "mysterious" disease that afflicts the nation's population, enough evidence is given to make it plain that this is the case. This film can be divided into two halves--a staggeringly bad first half that is mostly action/adventure and a stronger second half which focuses more on dramatic issues. As is almost always the case with short (89 minutes) motion pictures that try to do a lot, the tone and pacing of DAYBREAK are inconsistent, leading to a degree of viewer alienation which is not desirable with the remote controller so close. This isn't a theater where you have to walk out to get away from the movie. At any rate, the initial forty-five minutes of DAYBREAK is saddled with a predictable plot and weak characterization. By waiting for the second half to delve into the characters, the film strands its audience through the first half with a group of people that we don't know and don't care about. The movie also has a habit of making everything--people and situations--all good or all evil. There aren't many "gray areas" in DAYBREAK, with few flaws in the heroes and few redeeming qualities in the villains. The long dramatic scene in the second half almost saves the movie. It is tense and emotional, but only makes up about 20% of DAYBREAK's running time. The action scenes are probably meant to add excitement to the movie, but they're too pedestrian, and danger without well-drawn characters tends to be more routine than entertaining. While few will deny that the message of DAYBREAK--the danger of intolerance and misunderstanding--is positive (and certainly politically correct), it's nothing new and has previously been presented in more effective forums. This is an unremittingly grim portrayal of the future, with little in the way of comic relief (or anything else to lessen the emotional tension). Even the love story is dark and brooding, with undercurrents of death. One thing that DAYBREAK does well is give us an interracial romance where skin color is a complete non-issue. Even as this story probes intolerance against AIDS victims, it erases racism. There isn't the usual class of cultures, since Blue and Torch obviously come from economically and socially similar--if racially dissimilar--backgrounds. The acting by the two leads is uniformly strong, although there is one scene (where Martha Plimpton's Lori gets the results of her AIDS test) that no one does a good job in. For whatever reason, this short one-minute is jarring, peppered with emotions that don't seem real and dialogue delivered in an unconvincing fashion. Other than that, however, Cuba Gooding Jr. and Moira Kelly, both who have shown considerable talent in the past, impress, bringing more life to this story than the plot warrants. As difficult as it is to do when faced with a banal script, Gooding and Kelly deliver heartfelt--and occasionally powerful--performances. Were this a theatrical release, I would unconditionally not recommend it. Likewise, if you don't have HBO, DAYBREAK is certainly not a reason to rush out and buy it. However, if you have ready access to the pay channel, watching this film wouldn't be a disastrous, or completely unrewarding, move. DAYBREAK isn't good, but neither is it terrible, and there are a lot worse things on television to watch. The movie has its moments, and a couple of strong acting jobs, but on the whole, the sun never rises on DAYBREAK. - James Berardinelli (blake7@cc.bellcore.com)