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Movies / On DVD / Final
Final

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Final (2001)

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Reviews Counted:38

Fresh:16

Rotten:22

Average Rating:4.9/10

Runtime: 1 hr 51 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: A solemn, quietly upsetting story about a man suffering from amnesia and paranoia who suspects he is part of a scientific government experiment in an apocalyptic near future, FINAL is a sad and... A solemn, quietly upsetting story about a man suffering from amnesia and paranoia who suspects he is part of a scientific government experiment in an apocalyptic near future, FINAL is a sad and moving unsolvable puzzle. Bill (Denis Leary) wakes up in a small room with a mind full of partial memories and a body suffering deteriorated motor skills. He gazes out the locked window at the Connecticut fall leaves, imagining that he sees his girlfriend, Sherry (Marin Hinkle) on the grass. Then she disappears, a mere illusion. A pretty nurse, Ann (Hope Davis), enters the high-security room, replacing Sherry's lost image, and begins psychological counseling, trying to help Bill remember what happened to him. But he is convinced that he knows what really happened--that he was in an accident, he was frozen in a cryogenic experiment, and now he is waiting to receive a final injection and be put to death. Though Ann listens to Bill and studies him as he jokes and shares memories about his mother, his father, and Sherry, his delusions make him nearly incapable of logical conversation. With a soulful blues-infused musical score, Leary and Davis deliver emotional, poetic performances, buttering up the audience for the revelatory final twist. [More]

Starring: Denis Leary, Hope Davis, J.C. MacKenzie, Jim Gaffigan

Starring: Denis Leary, Hope Davis, J.C. MacKenzie, Jim Gaffigan, Jim Hornyak, Maureen Anderman, Marin Hinkle, Madison Arnold, Caroline Kava

Director: Campbell Scott

Director: Campbell Scott
Screenwriter: Bruce McIntosh
Producer: Gary Winick, Alexis Alexanian, Mary Frances Budig, Steve Dunn, Campbell Scott
Studio: Cowboy Pictures

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Final

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1 - 20 (sorted by fresh rating; UK critics are listed first)
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Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/06/05
Film Threat

Though its story is fuzzy, the acting and direction in Final give it an air of quiet, dignified ambition.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
12/06/01
A.O. Scott
A.O. Scott
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Mr. Leary and Ms. Davis are first-rate.

Full Review Source: New York Observer | comment Comment
12/06/01
Andrew Sarris
Andrew Sarris
New York Observer

While vaguely reminiscent of VANILLA SKY, it lacks the pretty big-name stars, the sci-fi trappings, and the cop-out ending – and is all the better for it.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
03/18/03
Brian Mckay
Brian Mckay
eFilmCritic.com

A movie that tries your patience but, finally, rewards it handsomely.

Full Review Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press | comment Comment
01/17/02
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
St. Paul Pioneer Press

Best known as a gritty wiseass, Denis Leary creates a fine dramatic performance as Bill, as does his co-star Hope Davis whose screen presence is glacial and entirely believable.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/08/02
Christopher Varney
Christopher Varney
Film Threat

Leary -- and the film itself -- keeps the audience off guard.

Full Review Source: USA Today | comment Comment
12/07/01
Claudia Puig
Claudia Puig
USA Today

Campbell Scott's brutally claustrophobic direction is alleviated by Leary and Davis's unhysterical performances.

Full Review Source: Slant Magazine | comment Comment
11/05/01
Ed Gonzalez
Ed Gonzalez
Slant Magazine

A surprisingly effective, off-beat little movie.

Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
01/18/02
Eric Harrison
Eric Harrison
Houston Chronicle

Emerges as engrossing and thought-provoking.

Full Review Source: Dallas Morning News | comment Comment
01/17/02
Gary Dowell
Gary Dowell
Dallas Morning News

Denis Leary and Hope Davis played against each other like fire and water

Full Review Source: Compuserve | comment Comment
10/24/01
Harvey S. Karten
Harvey S. Karten
Compuserve

Shot digitally, Final is less than terrific technically; focus and sound levels waver. Luckily, these flaws are not inconsistent with the film's raw, unvarnished tone.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
12/14/01
Kevin Thomas
Kevin Thomas
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Leary ... digs deeper than he has before, and he makes himself over into an arresting lost soul.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Weekly | comment Comment
12/07/01
Owen Gleiberman
Owen Gleiberman
Entertainment Weekly

[Scott] aptly places these all-too-human characters in a complex situation that is both compelling and entertaining.

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
12/06/01
Rachel Gordon
Rachel Gordon
Filmcritic.com

Worth it for Leary fans who want to see him stretch a bit.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
02/03/08
Rob Gonsalves
Rob Gonsalves
eFilmCritic.com

The pace suddenly picks up and the pieces of the puzzle start falling into place for Bill and for the audience.

Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
12/07/01
V.A. Musetto
V.A. Musetto
New York Post

Script docs should've worked a little harder on this one.

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
12/08/01
E! Online

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/06/05
Film Threat

The budget here was clearly miniscule, but others with less experience have certainly done more with less.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Daily News | comment Comment
12/14/01
Bob Strauss
Bob Strauss
Los Angeles Daily News

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
02/02/02
Cheryl DeWolfe
Cheryl DeWolfe
Apollo Guide
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by fresh rating; UK critics are listed first)
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