Deceiver . Newcity Chicago . 02-02-98

Deceiver

DIRECTED BY: Jonas Pate

REVIEWED: 02-02-98

According to the tagline in this film's advertisement, "There are two sides to every lie." Well, actually, no, there aren't, and I'm sick of being served up lines, looks and lighting that seem so slick but mean so little. Case in point: at the end of "Deceiver" a hooker teases a lone man in a darkened park: "You could get into a lot of trouble being out this late." He then flashes what's supposed to be a chilling grin at the camera, "That's the idea." Cue the overly dramatic music, roll the credits and never mind about the loose ends. In this stylish tale of mind games in the interrogation room, Tim Roth doesn't have a limp, but he does have temporal lobe epilepsy. The data provided on the disease, like that on absinthe, polygraphs and Van Gogh (who was, incidentally, played by Roth in "Vincent & Theo") is fresh and memorable. But the plot twists are actually plot grasps. Things -- false leads, lies -- happen, and they fill up space nicely, but they don't happen for any logical reason. As the murder suspect, Roth projects his familiar heavy-lidded insolence and Chris Penn is the dumb cop, but it's Michael Rooker's performance -- as the scary cop -- that keeps us on edge. All perspiration and pursed lips, Rooker spends the movie looking like a steam whistle ready to blow. Does he? If you see "Deceiver" you might be curious to see it again to find out if the plot remains organic (like "The Usual Suspects") once you know who the killer is. Don't bother -- or, to couch it in the language of a mediocre suspense thriller: Sometimes eight bucks can be the price of a deadly mistake. With Renee Zellweger as -- what else? -- the squinting, pouty victim.

--Ellen Fox

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