Confessions of an Opium Eater could hardly be called a good movie -- and yet it is enormously fascinating. Make no mistake -- Confessions is overblown, muddled, and bizarre. Many of its characters are offensively stereotyped, and the dialogue alters between fortune cookie aphorisms and shallow philosophical ramblings. The plot is drawn from pulp fiction, and the direction is helter-skelter. But in spite of all this, Confessions is a hard film to take one's eyes off of, and it's filled with memorable moments. Albert Zugsmith's direction is often heavy-handed and frequently confusing, yet it carries with it a tremendous degree of commitment; the viewer may not really know what Zugsmith has in mind, but Zugsmith does, and he seems quite pleased with it. This keeps Confessions from being boring, even (paradoxically) when it's dragging its feet a little. And when it isn't dragging, it has a feverish dream quality to it that is always interesting, sometimes arresting. There are even a few minutes that are genuinely good, most notably the five-minute silent, slow-motion chase sequence. Confessions also features a number of moments and images that make a strong impression, from the floating cages to the crocodile's mouth that transforms into Linda Ho. The cast, with Vincent Price in the lead, are perfectly in tune with the direction; it may not be great acting, but it's precisely what is called for. Confessions of an Opium Eater may not be a good movie, but its hallucinatory weirdness makes it a fascinating experience.
by Craig Butler
review
