I am both a die-hard fan of giallo pictures and a relentless champion of underdog cinema. So, you know I jumped at the chance to speak to the merits of a film that checks both of the aforementioned boxes. The feature in question is Bruce Robinson’s Jennifer 8, a box office bomb that didn’t resonate with mainstream critics and went largely overlooked by movie lovers upon its theatrical release in 1992.
With the film observing a release date anniversary this month, now seems like the perfect time to make a case for its efficacy. Jennifer 8 is a twisty thriller that takes inspiration from the giallo output of Italy and pairs that with film noir elements. It’s part police procedural and part genre feature, meaning it sits squarely within my interests. Though the film is a bit formulaic and the runtime is a little long, Jennifer 8 stands as an effectively executed and gritty crime picture with plenty of twists peppered throughout.
The setup
Jennifer 8 follows Detective John Berlin (Andy Garcia) as he relocates to remote Eureka, CA following a devastating divorce. Before he’s even officially on the job, Berlin gets caught up in a murder case where nothing is as it seems. The manager of a junkyard notifies police of a man found dead of an apparent suicide. During their search of the premises, the officers find a woman’s hand and a brassiere. The detectives initially wonder if the discovery might relate to the murder of a Jane Doe they previously dubbed ‘Jennifer.’ Jennifer’s case puzzled the department and detectives came up with no solid leads.
Berlin eventually makes the connection that the Jane Doe whose hand was found in the junkyard was likely blind, due to significant scarring on her fingertips from reading brail. From there, he begins to suspect the victim is the same young woman who recently vanished from an institute for the visually impaired.
Berlin interviews the missing woman’s roommate, Helena (Uma Thurman), and sparks soon begin to fly between them. Berlin runs with the theory that the cases are related, even though his counterparts think he’s grasping at straws, trying to make a name for himself. However, the more Berlin digs, the more convinced he becomes that the two cases are related and that Helena is in unspeakable danger.
Giallo influences in Jennifer 8
The aspect of Jennifer 8 I find most compelling is writer/director Bruce Robinson’s use of giallo tropes. He employs several signature Italian horror filmmaking conventions here. We have a black-gloved killer whose face is always obscured while in frame. In one unforgettable sequence, the antagonist is looking directly into the camera, but we cannot see their face because it is obfuscated by the blinding glow of a flashlight. In true giallo fashion, the antagonist eventually proves to be someone familiar to the viewer, someone the audience isn’t likely to suspect. Moreover, the killer is driven to take lives because of childhood trauma that manifested into violent impulses. As we know, killers from giallo pictures often experience a similar trajectory.
Robinson tones down some of the madness commonly associated with giallo filmmaking and instead tells a slightly more grounded story here. The narrative isn’t as surreal as the works of Argento or Bava. But their influence is evident, nonetheless.
A great cast of characters
Aside from the adherence to giallo tropes, I also find the film’s core cast very impressive. The lineup is brimming with talented thespians. Uma Thurman, Andy Garcia, Lance Henriksen, John Malkovich, Kathy Baker, and Bob Gunton all feature in some capacity. Each is effective in their respective showing and brings something unique to their character.
Speaking of the core characters, Berlin fits squarely into the hardboiled detective archetype popularized by noir cinema. He has a sometimes-gruff exterior and is also known to enjoy a good, stiff drink. Like any noir detective worth their salt, Berlin has a strong sense of justice and refuses to relent until the killer is apprehended. Garcia’s performance makes him a compelling lead, giving us a look behind Berlin’s stoic façade and allowing the audience to see him at his most vulnerable.
Lance Henriksen also turns in a great showing as Detective Ross. He is gruff and abrasive, but he’s almost impossible not to love. Ross gets some great one-liners and he serves as a nice counterbalance to Berlin’s more reactive tendencies.
Uma Thurman is also on her A-game here. She is nearly unrecognizable as Helena. The actress plays her as waiflike, timid, and self-conscious. Its a far cry from the bolder characters she’s best known for playing (i.e. The Bride in Kill Bill).
The victim’s perspective
Speaking of Helena, Robinson does a remarkable job of helping the audience experience life from her perspective, particularly in the film’s most harrowing moments. He ensures we feel a connection to Helena by translating her experience as a visually impaired person to the audience. Smartly, Robinson doesn’t rely solely on tension-building sequences to allow the viewer to feel what she feels. During the party at Detective Ross’ (Lance Henriksen) house, Helena is in a loud, crowded area and we see just how vulnerable she is in a scenario most seeing people wouldn’t struggle to navigate. That added context helps give the viewer perspective into Helena’s experience while simultaneously illustrating what a twisted creep the killer is. To take advantage of someone who can’t see you coming is pure, unadulterated evil.
Robinson also makes good use of camera angles that seem to suggest someone is watching Helena from afar. One especially memorable sequence frames Helena through an exterior window. That puts the viewer at a voyeuristic vantage point, forcing us to see through the same perspective as the killer lying in wait. That piece is eerie and uncomfortable and it effectively foreshadows the horrors still to come.
The scenes where the killer openly taunts Helena are also well-rendered and often rather uncomfortable to watch. The very idea that she cannot see the person lying in wait invokes an empathetic response. It inspires a sense of helplessness in the audience. With that said Helena never reads like a helpless victim. She is at a certain disadvantage, but she she’s not depicted as an easy target or a sitting duck.
A few shortcomings
I won’t dwell too much on what doesn’t work. But I will warn you that Jennifer 8 runs a bit longer than it ought to. Not to mention, there are some gaps in logic and the flick is often a bit formulaic. However, if you’re willing to set the picture’s shortcomings aside, there is plenty to appreciate, I assure you.
On the whole:
Jennifer 8 is a thrilling neo-noir with giallo overtones throughout. The setup and reveal are a bit farfetched. But it’s an entertaining exercise in escapist cinema. If that’s what you seek, look no further.
Categorized:Editorials
