Heart of Darkness [1993] [DVD]Tim Roth (actor) John Malkovich (actor)
Format: all-region dvd (worldwide) Runtime: 100 min Quality: Digital
Making a faithful screen adaptation of Joseph Conrad's brooding novella about madness and greed, which formed the basis for Apocalypse Now was always going to be a bold step given that parallels would inevitably be drawn with Coppola's masterpiece. The story is certainly one familiar to film-goers, a man (Tim Roth) is sent up the Congo in a leaky steamboat to find the renegade Kurtz (John Malkovich in malevolent form), an ivory trader now mad prophet and self-acclaimed king.
The eccentric visual flair associated with the once mighty Nicolas Roeg made him the perfect choice for this straight-to-cable production shot on location in Belize, and he encourages exemplary performances from his two main leads. Overall though this never manages to rise much above the ordinary. |