The Poison Rose
starring John Travolta, Morgan Freeman, Famke Janssen, Robert Patrick, Peter Stormare and Brendan Fraser
screenplay by Richard Salvatore, Francesco Cinquemani and Luca Giliberto
directed by George Gallo and Francesco Cinquemani
Rating: ♦♦♦♦◊
Based on the novel of the same name by Richard Salvatore, The Poison Rose is an old-fashioned film-noire detective store featuring Carson Phillips (John Travolta), a hard-drinking, hard-smoking, hard-looking, ex-football-playing Los Angeles detective hired to return to his hometown in Galveston, Texas to investigate the disappearance of Barbara Van Poole, a relative of his client who lives in a sanitarium. Carson resists returning to his hometown, but, “A beautiful woman with a sob story has always been one of my weaknesses - along with her having an open check book.” He thinks the job is routine, but it’s so much more than that.
It turns out that Galveston is a big pile of corrupt, stinking poo. Barbara Van Poole is just the teaser. Her family can’t contact her because the sanitarium keeps giving her the runaround. When Carson shows up to talk to the doctor in charge, Miles Mitchell (Brendan Fraser) he gets the same treatment. Barbara Van Poole is neither seen nor heard, but her family is billed for her treatment. So, something is not right at the hospital. It turns out that Dr. Mitchell is killing some of his patients, then burying their bodies on the hospital grounds while continuing to charge their families for care and treatment not given.
Morgan Freeman portrays Doc, who seems to be in control of all gambling in the city, plus he’s in competition with Miles Mitchell for the illegal drug trade. Doc on the one hand and Miles Mitchell on the other seem to be the two poles in this story, and Carson is caught between them, uncharacteristically trying to do the right thing. Into that mix goes a corrupt college football star dying from doctored during a fixed game. He was the victim of the dynamic between Doc and Dr. Miles Mitchell.
Travolta’s character is so grotty you can almost smell the Bourbon, cigarettes and stale sweat on him. Sort of like my older brother’s blue Ford Mustang in high school.
When I saw the Miles Mitchell character on screen, I looked hard at him and thought, “Is that Brendan Fraser?” I quickly decided that it was. I was happy to see Fraser in films again, because I like him (his career was cooking in the 1990s, but quickly cooled after that). But, I mean, wow! I almost didn’t recognize him because of the weight he’s put on. I read that the role of Miles Mitchell originally was being offered to Forest Whitaker, but somehow Brendan Fraser got it instead.
I also like Peter Stormare. He’s had a long career and he keeps popping up here and there, surprising me. He’s an odd guy who seems to specialize in odd characters.
The movie was poorly reviewed, but I liked it. I don’t want to watch it again, but it was okay one time round. From the very start, Carson narrates his story to the audience throughout the film, immediately making me classify it as “film noire.” A person could close his eyes and listen to it as if it were a radio drama.