THE HARVEST (1994)

written and directed by David Marconi

starring: Miguel Ferrer, Leilani Sarelle, Harvey Fierstein, Henry Silva, Tim Thomerson, Anthony Denison, and Matt Clark

It's no secret that Hollywood is in love with itself.  Witness the spate of films that chronicle the misspent lives of young "wannabe" actors and actresses, middle-aged divas suffering nervous breakdowns because the roles they used to play are now being offered to younger and more beautiful ingénues, and aging hack directors who firmly believe that they have one last masterpiece still left in them.  Most of these films are so bad that not only do I want to demand my money back after the end-credits roll, I also want to demand back my time spent watching them.

But few films about Hollywood moviemakers are as brilliant as Nick Ray's In a Lonely Place, Robert Altman's The Player, and George Huang's Swimming with Sharks.  And then there is David Marconi's inspired and inventive film, The Harvest.

Miguel Ferrer (Robocop, Revenge, and Point of No Return) stars as Charlie Pope, a down-on-his-luck screenwriter who is about to have his project taken away from him by his less than sympathetic producer, played by Harvey Fierstein (Torch Song Trilogy, Mrs. Doubtfire, and Independence Day).  Charlie pleads for one last chance and convinces the producer to fly him down to Mexico to research a "true story that he thought he made up" about an unsolved murder. 

However, south of the border, the change of scenery does nothing for his writer's block.  That is, until he discovers a more interesting story, within his story, and meets Natalie, another tourista played by Leilani Sarelle (Neon Maniacs and Basic Instinct), and the film's prerequisite femme fatale.

What Charlie thought was a contract mob hit was actually the grisly murder of a vacationing “gringo” pornographer/child molester.  And the man leading the police investigation, Detective Victor Topo, played by the always-villainous Henry Silva (The Tall T and The Violent Breed), is the uncle of the young boy who was last seen with the dead man.

No sooner does he begin his own inquiry, despite his producer's virulent objection to the screenplay's new theme, Charlie is brutally attacked and wakes up five days later only to discover that one of his kidneys is missing and, you guessed it, so is Natalie.

Charlie reports his misadventure to the police, only to learn that Detective Topo is the investigating officer and that "things are done differently down there -- with another system of justice and another set of rules". 

As Charlie continues his investigation, he is abducted at gunpoint by a fellow “Americano”, Noel, outrageously played by Anthony Denison (Crime Story and Full Eclipse], complete with bleached blonde hair and red toenails. Charlie is able to escape and, once again, seeks intervention from Topo only to discover, almost too late, that he too is involved in his original attack.

A desperate Charlie tracks down Natalie and together, they return to California, only to be followed by Noel and his shotgun-toting and scalpel-wielding cronies.  It seems the first kidney was rejected by its new host and now they want Charlie's other one.

While I'd be the first to admit that so far this might sound rather conventional -- however, trust me, it is anything but.  In fact, this story has all the elements of the sawed-off, double-barreled poetry of Warren Zevon's lyricism and the drug-induced paranoia of Hunter S. Thompson's journalism.

Relax.  I haven't revealed anything above and beyond the basic premise.  That's because, not unlike the creators of The Usual Suspects, Marconi has more tricks up his sleeve, even though I personally think he makes you wait a little too long to deliver them as he prolongs the second act.  But, the third act "kicks ass" and you owe it to yourself to see this one all the way through to it's flesh-tingling finale, with a "payoff" that will take you completely by surprise. 

And, upon a second viewing, you will appreciate, even more, Marconi's clever plotting, as well as, his intricate layering of details, scene by scene, creating a rich tapestry of tightly interconnecting weaves. Unlike most films, there are no throwaway scenes - every scene and every line of dialogue is there for a reason.

In addition to being a hyper-intense thriller, and a visual tour de force, this film accurately portrays the hellish life of a struggling Hollywood screenwriter. 

As Charlie Pope says; "Ouch, babe!"

[originally published in VMag - October 1997]