The Robert Downey Jr Film Guide
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The Robert Downey Jr Film Guide |
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In Dreams (1999) |
Summary |
Woman dreams serial killer's crimes before he commits them. |
Direction |
Neil Jordan |
Downey Factor |
Medium to Low. |
Character |
Vivian Thompson, a cross-dressing serial killer with mommy issues. |
Looks |
Creepy blue-eyed ginger. |
Performance |
He's never quite as evil or scary as he's supposed to be. |
Line |
All I wanted was a family. I knew there was a dreamer out there like me, 'cause I was dreaming of her. I wanted her to be my family, and I took her little girl. And the little girl cried and hollered, and I punished her like any dad would. Then she was laying quiet, beautiful, but like a doornail. |
Dies, Gay or Villain |
No, unclear, yes. |
Other Actors |
Annette Bening, Stephen Rea, Aidan Quinn |
Connection |
Annette Bening in Richard III |
Location |
New England, Berkshires, Western Massachusetts |
RDJ Says |
Vivian is so sad, so childlike, so misinformed. His childhood is a void and he is trying to connect with Claire to get her attention. There is a real sense of a dark destiny between them. They are similar in many ways; the difference is that what she does is right, and what he does is very wrong ... I thought it was spooky and I really wanted to be in it ... I trusted Neil Jordan's direction and I tried not to think about it too much, because I've really intellectualized roles before, and it's enough to drive you to the funny farm. I didn't want to be crazy, I wanted to play crazy ... The role was dark, he was a serial killer, but I just looked at him as someone who had a really bad childhood. He was very childish, and I could really relate to that. On that, I probably had six of the best weeks I'd had in a couple of years. |
Lit Reference |
Doll's Eyes by Bari Wood The film was based on this book. |
Release |
January 15, 1999 |
Availability |
Widely available on video. Released on DVD in Region 1, 2 and 4. |
Foreign Titles |
Argentina: Sueños de un Asesino (Dreams of a Killer) Brazil: A Premonição (The Premonition) China: Ghost Dream (English translation) Croatia: U Snovima (Into a Weave) Finland: Painajaisissa (Nightmares) France: Prémonitions (Premonitions) Germany: Jenseits der Träume (Beyond the dreams) Greece: Efialtikes nyhtes Poland: Senny Koszmar (Nightmare) Portugal: Premonição (Premonition) Norway: Forvarselet (Advance Warning) Romania: Crime în vis (Crime in the Dream) Spain: Dentro de Mis Sueños (Within my Dreams) |
Rotten Tomatoes |
24% Fresh | 45 Reviews |
Critical View |
Phillip French, The Guardian: The picture starts out murky, fails to develop any sort of narrative logic, lacks the fun and energy of the Elm Street and Halloween cycles, and plunges into oblivion when Robert Downey Jr eventually turns up as the crazy killer. |
2 Reasons to See It |
1. It's not boring and Neil Jordan is a great director. 2. He's got red hair and blue eyes. |
Overall |
Bad horror flick has been called a waste of talent. I agree. |
If You Like It |
You might also like Gothika (2003), Natural Born Killers (1994) |
Photos |
Video |