Gothika

Only a couple of years after she picked up the Best Actress gong for Monster's Ball, Halle Berry is caught slumming it in this low rent thriller-horror movie. She plays Dr. Miranda Grey, a world renowned psychiatrist (is there any other kind?) who works at a prison for the criminally insane with her husband, fellow shrink Dr. Douglas Grey (Charles S. Dutton). One completely unconvincing twist later (involving lots of rain and a child spontaneously combusting) and Miranda wakes up in her place of employment - as an inmate accused of the murder of hubby dearest. Unable to remember what happened, her memory is jogged by slimy colleague Pete Graham (Robert Downey Jr.). When nasty images of the girl return, along with the words of demonically obsessed patient Chloe (Penelope Cruz), Miranda soon realises that she's not in Kansas anymore.

Checking off virtually every horror movie cliche with a vigour that borders upon recklessness, Gothika's director Mathieu Kassovitz (responsible for La Haine) does some pretty serious damage to his reputation with his Hollywood debut. Since nearly every shot is shrouded in hazy metallic shades, the film's look appears contrived and second-hand; something confirmed by the ease with which Kassovitz and his screenwriter Sebastian Gutierrez wheel out the old, wildly predictable, staples of the genre. If you were feeling particularly charitable, the pair could be commended on their extensive knowledge of the horror movie genre, but they fail to add anything resembling an air of originality to their thoughtless meanderings. When the material is as weak as this - and few films ultimately flirt with incoherency as violently as Gothika - there's very little any actor can do to maintain their dignity. Believe me, that's the nicest thing that can be said about any of them.