43/23
Based on the novel “Foregone” by Russell Banks
Plot
Leonard Fife, one of the sixty thousand draft evaders and deserters who fled to Canada to avoid serving in Vietnam, shares all his secrets to demystifying his mythologized life. This is the second time Paul Schrader has directed one of Banks’ novels for the screen, following his adaptation of Affliction (1997).
Well, you’d be wrong
Featured in Film Junk Podcast: Episode 961: In a Violent Nature + TIFF 2024 (2024). With such a great cast of actors like Richard Gere, Uma Thurman and Michael Imperioli, you’d think they’d have enough star power to make a better movie than this.
Paul Schrader gets “experimental” in a film that feels like something a first-year film student would make
Schrader claims to have been friends with the protester/filmmaker on whose life story this movie is based, but with friends like that who needs enemies? Richard Gere’s character becomes increasingly unlikable and gradually loses the ability to express himself with words as he rages at everyone around him, muttering as he sinks into darkness.
In other words he becomes just like Paul Schrader is today
Do yourself a favor and skip this, even on streaming I can’t imagine it would be better if I was able to pause it and leave the room to do more important things than watch this sad excuse of a movie.