Jack Says directed by Simon Phillips and Bob Komar
The filmÕs dual plots have in common our
protagonist, Jack, a Scotsman whose predilection for women and fighting
generally gets him into trouble. The women who get Jack into trouble are
annoyingly similar in appearance ÐÐ whether or not that was a choice made
by the casting director or a prerequisite for the mystery that ensues
remains a question. The story revolves around the question of who is ÒGirl
X,Ó and the question of how the two plots against Jack are connected.
The story begins with a black-and-white scene of
Jack tied to a chair being brutally beaten by a gang of thugs who berate
him about breaking Òthe rules.Ó The next scene is in color, and Jack
awakens, bloodied, in a public urinal next to a corpse. From his internal
monologue, we learn he has amnesia, and has no idea about what happened.
Did he kill the man? Who is he? Where is he? Jack looks at the ID in his
wallet, then looks in the mirror to confirm his own name and address. He
flees the scene and returns home to clean himself up and find more clues.
One clue is a photo of a woman's breasts with no face in the picture. An
address in Paris is written on the back. Feeling endangered, Jack goes to
Paris to find the mystery woman and learn more about who he is.
The mystery mounts with Jack following a series
of clues leading him to several beautiful brunette women connected to his
past, one of whom is the lost love of his life. Once again Jack is set up
for another murder in Paris, and is pursued by police detectives and thugs.
His flashbacks and encounters with the brunettes help him recover his
memory, and provide more clues.
Jack Says has to be compared to its predecessor, Memento, the excellent mystery
directed by Christopher Nolan in 2000 featuring Guy Pearce as its
protagonist, Leonard. While Jack suffers from amnesia, Leonard suffers from
a somewhat different condition, short-term memory loss. Leonard also
awakens next to a crime scene, has black-and-white flashbacks, and tries to
find out what happened by taking photographs, writing notes on them, and
tattooing his body with clues. The difference between the two films lies in
the narrative structure. One film moves forward in time, while the other moves
backward. One protagonist wants his old life back, while the other
does not. Jack Says bears so much resemblance to Memento that one is tempted to dismiss
it as a ripoff, though perhaps itÕs better regarded as an homage. Either way, if
you enjoy a good mystery, Jack Says is worth watching.
Clues, Questions and Corpses 