Good horror is not easy to find. Most flicks go the way of splatterfest, imaginative only in how the victims are killed. The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016) is different, although the scenes of the taking apart of the body are gruesome. They are also riveting. The pace is measured, which is very different from most modern fare. A large part of the second half features very dark scenes, which makes the violence suggestive rather than in your face. The story is simple: The body of a beautiful young woman is found - how did she meet her end? A father and son forensic team are told to find out by morning. I wasn't thrilled with the resolution, but it's less outrageous than that of most films of the genre. Although the action takes place somewhere well south of New England, the production was filmed in the UK. The director, Andre Ovredal, is Norwegian. Ubiquitous Scotsman Brian Cox is in charge of the procedure. He has 215 titles listed under his name at IMDB, seven in post -production. Emile Hirsch plays his son, Ophelia Lovibond, a Londoner, plays the sweetheart. She has extensive credits, including a 14 episode arc as Kitty on Elementary. Olwen Catherine Kelly plays the dead body. Ian Goldberg, who has extensive credits in TV, and Richard Niang collaborated on the screenplay. The film runs less than 90 minutes, another plus. 53,000+ users at IMDb have rated The Autopsy..., forging to a consensus of 6.8 on a scale of ten. Although not a great film, it is solid entertainment that doesn't insult intelligence. Kudos to the creative crew. Anyone squeamish about realistically depicted forensic work should pass. It pulls no punches in that regard. Here's a still of the leads at work:
In an op-ed piece in today's NY Post, David Harsanyi asks several interesting questions. Here's an excerpt: "...Why is it that every one of the dozens of honest mistakes is prejudiced in the very same way? Why hasn’t there been a single major honest mistake that diminishes the Trump-Russia collusion story? Why is there never an honest mistake that indicts Democrats?" Kudos.
There were dollops of sunshine enough to operate the floating book shop without my freezing. My thanks to the young dad who bought the Percy Jackson & the Olympians Box Set: The Lightning Thief, The Sea of Monsters, The Titan's Curse, The Battle of the Labyrinth, and The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan. Never opened, I asked for eight bucks, and he jumped on it. It's more than $20 at Amazon. I love smart shoppers, who must love dumb vendors. My thanks also to the Russian gentleman who purchased two mysteries, one at my recommendation, a translation of a Michael Connelly work. And thanks to the Jane Does who selected Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, Pearl S. Buck's The Good Earth, Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire, and Anya Bast's Witch Blood.
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