Director Derek Vanlint has gone for atmosphere here, using arty edits and a languid music score to unravel a thriller that is more sickening than thrilling. The child abduction scenes and the haunting images inside the killer's head are uncomfortably long and detailed -- anyone with children will be repulsed. Worse yet, the entire mystery turns on a coincidence -- in this case involving a midget pickpocket dressed like a baby (don't ask) -- one of the cheapest ways for a storyteller to get out of a dead end. Dennis Hopper shows once again that he can be convincing despite tepid support from Toronto's ensemble of ever-ready B-movie actors. Casting Hopper with Apocalypse Now co-star Frederic Forrest is intriguing but not novel -- they worked together in the Hopper-directed Chasers with far more interesting results.
The Spreading Ground (2000)
Directed by Derek Vanlint
Genres - Mystery, Thriller |
Sub-Genres - Detective Film |
Release Date - Mar 5, 2000 (USA - Unknown) |
Run Time - 100 min. |
Countries - Canada, United States |
MPAA Rating - R
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