ALLAN HUNTER at the Movies

IF YOU ARE a fan of 1970s American films like ‘M*A*S*H’ or ‘Catch-22’, then you should enjoy ‘Guy X’. The second feature from Scottish director Saul Metzstein is a handsome black comedy exploring the madness of the military from the farce of its petty bureaucracy to the horror of its unfathomable conspiracies.

Told with a darkening mood like a gathering of clouds, this ambitious endeavour has its flaws but proves welcome confirmation of Metzstein’s abilities in the wake of his award-winning debut ‘Late Night Shopping’ in 2001.

Set in the late 1970s, ‘Guy X’ stars Jason Biggs (of ‘American Pie’ fame) as army corporal Rudy Spruance. Expecting to arrive at his new posting in Hawaii, he is abandoned on a runway in blinding light. Attacked by mosquitoes and hospitalised, he awakes to discover that he is on a base in Greenland.

Company commander Colonel Woolrap (Jeremy Northam) simply refuses to accept that there has been some sort of clerical error. He assigns Rudy the task of editing a regular newspaper that will boost morale. Rudy’s one source of comfort is the attention of enigmatic sergeant Irene Teale (Natascha McElhone).

Initially, ‘Guy X’ seems another Kafkaesque variation on the institutional insanity of a world where obedience is prized much more than logic. It develops into something more substantial with Rudy’s discovery of a secret hospital ward and the true reason why the American Army is putting so many resources into the base.

‘Guy X’ makes the most of its unusual locations in Iceland and features a fine performance from Jason Biggs, but the story is never as dramatic or penetrating as you might have anticipated. The end result leaves too many questions unanswered to be judged a total success, but it remains smart and engaging throughout.

General release, selected cinemas
Director: Saul Metzstein
Stars: Jason Biggs, Jeremy Northam, Natascha McElhone, Michael Ironside, Sean Tucker
Screenwriters: John Paul Chapple, Steve Attridge based on the novel ‘No One Thinks Of Greenland’ by John Griesemer
Certificate: 15
Running time: 101 mins
Country: UK/Canada/Iceland
Year: 2005

© Allan Hunter, 2005