MovieChat Forums > Splinter (2006) Discussion > Almost worth buying for the Tom Sizemore...

Almost worth buying for the Tom Sizemore commentary on the DVD extras


This movie wasn't very good. I think the director is the son of Edward James Olmos and that he helped his son out by playing a cameo in the beginning, maybe helping him get the job or with financing. Someone else commented how "wooden" the female Detective's acting was and I have to agree. Maybe the director was dating her and let her have the part, because she certainly had no ability, showed no emotion, zero projection, no command as a cop, etc. Just stiff, sullen, quiet, low-energy 'acting'.

And then I see Tom Sizemore and he's slamming shots of tequila and acting out of control, which I like to see. But in general, it was a pretty weak performance, even by his standards. Here's a guy who has acted with the likes of Robert Deniro, Val Kilmer, Tom Hanks, etc. and was so down on his luck that he took this role as an out-of-control suicidal alcoholic cop, for probably pennies. I have always liked his work, but not so much in this one. Truly, he was the only reason I bought the DVD (he was on the cover), otherwise I never would have bought it.

(Possible Spoiler)
I like gritty L.A. gang/cop thrillers, but this one was far-fetched and hard to follow. The flashbacks that try to explain what happen to the victims, show the female detective, as if she was the one killing people? Then you're never really sure.
About the only interesting part that held my attention was in the special features, where they interview Tom Sizemore about his career and what happened to it. He said he was doing great, had a $5 million home, and then some woman said that he hit her and then it all went away; he spent all his money defending himself in court, trying to avoid a prison sentence, and then was kind of 'blacklisted' by other actors & directors who didn't want to work with him. It's really quite a shame to see how easily people can be destroyed by allegations.

Years back, I used to get Tom Sizemore and Michael Madsen mixed up. They have both worked in gritty film roles and have larger-than-life personalities and played bad guys very well. It seems that both of these great actors have hit hard times and I hope they both get their chance for a comeback. No one deserves to be broke & homeless, not even movie stars.



"Now, I know I'm pretty, but I ain't as pretty as a coupla titties!"

reply