Review by C.J. Bunce
Thirty-three years ago this month, director John Carpenter did one of the things he is best at: adding a surprising new genre entry to his oeuvre. Whether you see the Invisible Man as just one of the creations of the Universal Monster pantheon, or another H.G. Wells entry, Carpenter’s adaptation of H.F. Saint’s 1987 novel Memoirs of an Invisible Man, was a refreshing twist on the character, updated from the novel with a modern noir edge. The movie made little money at the box office, a result of getting lost with Wayne’s World, Beauty and the Beast, The Addams Family, Hook, JFK, and Fried Green Tomatoes all battling for theater space. After a string of comedy hits, Chevy Chase had some duds in the comedy genre and audiences forgot about his early classic leading man roles. Today the movie stands strong with a good supporting cast, good special effects and good choices by Carpenter and one of the greatest screenplay writers of all time: William Goldman. Memoirs of an Invisible Man is now streaming on Prime Video, but if you haven’t seen you want to catch it soon as it leaves the streaming platform at the end of the month.
In the style of the classic noir movie D.O.A., the movie opens at the end of the story, with Chevy Chase playing Nick Halloway, a stock trader who is turned invisible by a nuclear fusion accident at a San Francisco research laboratory. With a voiceover reminiscent of classic noir, Halloway is creating a video tape of what happened, a tool used to solve a key problem as part of the film’s climactic finale. His co-star is Daryl Hannah as a more layered take on Alice Munroe from the novel.
This is John Carpenter making his Alfred Hitchcock movie, including Vertigo locations and homage scenes, and even one of his Easter egg references to The Birds’ nearby Bodega Bay (which you’ll also find in The Fog). Carpenter films Daryl Hannah with layouts and angles showcasing her beauty as Hitchcock did for Grace Kelly in Rear Window. A train sequence features suspense straight out of Strangers on a Train.
if you’ve watched all of Chase’s films, you will see how this role fits neatly as the third and final entry in his San Francisco leading man films, which began opposite Goldie Hawn first with Foul Play and then with Seems Like Old Times. These are light on the slapstick compared to everything else he did in movies like Fletch, Caddyshack, and Vacation, but consistent with his persona from the first season of Saturday Night Live when he never had a film that didn’t have at least one pratfall. This is Chase as his best and most likeable.
For the villain Carpenter tapped Sam Neill, right at the pinnacle of his career following The Hunt for Red October and Dead Calm and before Jurassic Park and The Piano. He’d return to Carpenter in In the Mouth of Madness. Neill’s former CIA mercenary is a smart antagonist, devoid of the mishaps of many a villain in suspense thrillers. Over his shoulder is Stephen Tobolowsky (Sneakers, Groundhog Day) as a government goon with some scruples. Rounding out the cast is Michael McKean as Halloway’s co-worker, Patricia Heaton as his wife, and Rosalind Chao post-M*A*S*H and pre-Deep Space Nine as Nick’s office assistant.
The cinematography and setting at times feels like Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Sneakers, and Trading Places. The special effects include a building that is only partial visible, designed as an homage to Salvador Dali paintings, Chase, Hannah, and Neill all in physical situations where they must act like they are being handled by someone else in good body performances, and inside looks at Halloway eating food. It’s all seamless.
The musical score by Shirley Walker (True Lies, Defending Your Life, Final Destination) includes memorable themes and exciting support to bolster the story, which is one of personal perils, a good package for a good tale.
Again, Memoirs of an Invisible Man is now streaming on Prime Video, but if you haven’t seen you want to catch it soon as it leaves the streaming platform at the end of the month. Check out Elizabeth C. Bunce’s review of the original H.F. Saint novel yesterday here at borg.
