I'm not what you think I am
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- Updated: 23 Jul 2008
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24th Day
posted Thu 17 Feb 05
This is a sublimb film. Tom (Scott Speedman) doesn't claim to be perfect, but he made one crucial mistake during his marriage and it cost him dearly - he cheated on his wife by having a one-night stand with Dan (James Marsden). He learns 24 days previously that he is HIV-positive and believes he contracted the virus during that night. When he runs into Dan in a bar, it seems like a casual pick-up, but this time Tom invites him home, planning to hold Dan hostage until he gets the results back from a forced blood test that will prove if Dan infected him and ruined his life. The less you know about the twists and turns this takes, the better - so no more hints about the plot.
Dan is a super-smooth player who is either living in denial or is so cocky he can lie with confidence even after he keeps getting caught in those lies. He's so convincing, he's even fooled himself into believing his tales. Still, he allows his vulnerability to show through enough to earn sympathy. Tom seems like the shy guy with loads of charm, but he manipulates the situation, blocking Dan's advances and seducing him at the same time - then erupting. There is sexual tension in the air, but never (even in the flashbacks) is there a hint of anything physical between these two.
Their reunion starts out with easy banter, but quickly gets pretty intense as Dan realizes he's being confronted by somebody he slept with and forgot. In between the accusations and the threats, they manage some normal conversations given their circumstances - although the topics they choose to discuss (football, movies, and old TV shows) seem a bit out of place between two guys who've had sex together. It's too bad that the story is stretched so thin they have to resort to banal chatter to fill in the gaps. Some idle talk to relieve tension or build bonds between hostage and captor makes sense, but too much diminishes the overall effect.
This movie is adapted from a two-man play and it has that staged look - nearly all the "action" is confined to Tom's apartment, comprised of conversation between these men. It takes two strong actors to carry off this kind of movie - and these guys are up to the task. Both of them prove that they can handle juicy roles. Even when the dialog is less than brilliant - they shine.
http://www.themoviechicks.com/mid2004/mcr24thday.html
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1. Pimme left...
Thu 17 Feb 05 9:16 pm
Some of the best movies take place in one day, or in one location.
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