The Lazarus Project

Ive seen a lot of movies with this sort of premise, but not done exactly like this. If I hadnt been in the mood for something like this today I might have said that I didnt like it, but I did, a lot. Its a real slow burner, they set stuff up and dont care to explain it, and I was fine with that.

The story begins like a drama, an ex-con who is trying to support his family but loses his job because of his past. He is propositioned by his brother who just got out of prison to do a job involving stealing something from a lab. He agrees so he can support his wife and child as well as his brother drops the bomb that if he doesn't get the money they are going to kill him because he owes them money from before he went to prison. It is all very straight forward, a good man who has made mistakes is forced back into his old ways because of circumstances, and its here that we take the first turn. When they go to do the robbery something goes wrong and three people are killed and he is the one they mark for it, even though he is innocent of the murders. Since he has a record and they want to blame someone for the deaths they put a needle in his arm, and give him a lethal injection. He dies.

The next thing he knows is he is walking by the side of the road in Oregon and is now the new grounds keeper at a mental asylum for the criminally insane. He is quiet, and bides his time trying to figure out how and why he got there, and why he's not 6 feet under. Its amazing how scary a person standing in the woods watching you walk can be, and it was. They leave tons of questions open and don't care to explain most of whats going on, but like I said before I'm fine with that. Is he dead, is he alive, who are these people and why is this happening?

The casting to me seemed spot on, even Paul Walker seemed to play a role where he is quiet most of the time very well. Bob Gunton as the "warden" of the place is great, very reminiscent of his role in "The Shawshank Redemption"

There were a few shots I absolutely loved, and they kept the movie nice and dark. It was moody and foreboding. There were certainly many cracks in the story and loose ends, it jumps and plays with the patience of the audience, but I was always on top of it. Its a real slow burner and very under stated. It was something that was not unexpected, but still had its moments that made me smile because they did something little that was unexpected.

Something I liked a lot was no one ever says the words "The Lazarus Project" No one really says much of anything. Its an odd mix of drama, mystery and suspense. Its green and gray and sad. It was something that I enjoyed more than I would have expected. If you liked "Memento" "Stay" or "The Jacket" then check this one out. 7/10 stars.

Director: John Glenn
Starring: Paul Walker, Piper Perabo, Bob Gunton