The Singing Detective (film)

This article is about the film. For the television miniseries, see The Singing Detective.

The Singing Detective
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Keith Gordon
Produced by	Mel Gibson
Written by	Dennis Potter
Starring	Robert Downey, Jr. Robin Wright Penn Jeremy Northam Katie Holmes Adrien Brody Mel Gibson
Cinematography	Tom Richmond
Distributed by	Paramount Classics
Release date(s)	October 24, 2003 (2003-10-24)
Running time	109 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$8 million
Box office	$337,174

The Singing Detective is a 2003 musical/psychological drama-comedy based on the acclaimed BBC serial The Singing Detective, a work by famous British writer Dennis Potter and directed by Keith Gordon. It stars Robert Downey, Jr. and features an expansive supporting cast that includes Katie Holmes, Adrien Brody, Robin Wright Penn, and Mel Gibson, as well as a number of famous songs from the 1950s.

Plot

Suffering from the skin disease psoriasis and crippling psoriatic arthritis, detective novelist Dan Dark is in such pain in a hospital that he begins to delve into fantasy, resulting in several storylines told simultaneously:

1. A film noir based on Dark's novel, The Singing Detective, in which a nightclub singer/private eye, hired by Mark Binney, takes on a strange case involving prostitutes and two mysterious men. Nothing is ever solved from this, only a vague plot. Notably, all of the people in the film noir are played by people who are real people in Dark's life; for example, Dark's nurse plays a singer.
2. The present reality, in which Dark is tormented by incredible pain. Dark interacts with the various people around him, as the doctors and nurses attempt to help, but are dismissed by Dark's anger and bitterness towards everyone. The reality, however, also collapses into hallucinations, as the people randomly sing choreographed musical numbers, such as "How Much Is That Doggie In The Window?" In the end, his reality is blended with the film noir and he is abducted by the two mysterious men, only to be shot by the titular "singing detective".
3. Dark's traumatic childhood in the past, which explains Dark's repulsion toward sexuality (Dark had watched his mother have sex with other men, including his father's business partner), and his own fiery temper.

Cast

• Robert Downey, Jr. as Dan Dark
• Robin Wright Penn as Nicola / Nina / Blonde
• Mel Gibson as Dr. Gibbon
• Jeremy Northam as Mark Binney
• Katie Holmes as Nurse Mills
• Adrien Brody as First Hood
• Jon Polito as Second Hood
• Carla Gugino as Betty Dark / Hooker
• Saul Rubinek as Skin Specialist
• Alfre Woodard as Chief of Staff
• Amy Aquino as Nurse Nozhki
• David Dorfman as Young Dan Dark
• Eddie Jones as Moonglow Bartender
• Clyde Kusatsu as Visiting Japanese Doctor

History

Potter's screenplay had been circulating in Hollywood for many years as Potter was enthusiastic about a film version. Robert Altman was at one time attached to direct with Dustin Hoffman in the lead, but financing proved difficult and the production was shelved. It was eventually discovered by an executive at Mel Gibson's production company, who loved it and got Gibson on board to produce. The screenplay had also been imagined as a movie directed by horror veteran David Cronenberg and starring Al Pacino as the title character.

Reception

The film scored 5.6 on IMDB and 39% "Rotten" on Rotten Tomatoes, with the consensus being 'Delightful performance from Robert Downey Jr. can't save The Singing Detective's transition from TV to the big screen'. While some critics, such as Roger Ebert, liked the film, others, like Joe Baltake at the Sacramento Bee, considered it an "interesting failure".

External links

• The Singing Detective at the Internet Movie Database
• The Singing Detective at AllRovi
• The Singing Detective at Box Office Mojo
• The Singing Detective at Rotten Tomatoes
• Senses of Cinema review