Worth: $6.66
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Cast:
Samuel L. Jackson, Vincent Cassel, John Hannah, Gianni Capaldi
Intro:
... nothing more than a derivative, predictable entry into a genre filled with many that have done it better before.
Damaged is yet another entry into the Seven-inspired crime sub-genre of a troubled detective’s hunt for an occult-motivated serial killer. The film follows Chicago-based, alcoholic detective Dan Lawson (Samuel L. Jackson) as he investigates a series of murders in Scotland with his ex-partner Walter Bravo (Vincent Cassel) and a Scottish detective (Gianni Capaldi, who also co-wrote the screenplay). What unfolds is a familiarly structured whodunit that, while not without its moments, quickly becomes less than the sum of its parts.
What Damaged really has going for it is a trio of strong leads. While Jackson and Cassel have nothing to prove at this point in their careers, they are both typically riveting and charismatic here. Their dynamic of ‘ex-partner but really old friend that understands the problem with the bottle’ is one that is intriguing and charming, in large part due to the pair’s onscreen chemistry and expected bravura. But perhaps the performance that outshines them both is that of the well-intentioned Scottish counterpart they collaborate with played by Capaldi, Detective Glen Boyd, who holds a lot of the screen time as he serves as the lead investigator of the case, while also dealing with severe trauma himself that is portrayed with an empathetic vulnerability. As the plot develops, he becomes much more of a vessel for the audience, and his performance shines as both sensitive and subtly devastating.
However, where Damaged shines in its performances, it unfortunately disappoints in its writing. What begins as a mildly intriguing mystery descends into a plot riddled with cliches, repeated tropes of the genre and stunted, expositional dialogue. We know the demons of these characters solely because they articulate them in well-written monologues five minutes into meeting them – and if you were wondering if someone was troubled with addiction, those wonders would be shot dead with the line from another character asking them ‘was it hard to quit the bottle?’ This overtness is sadly bled into the plot, as the film clearly takes inspiration from the works of David Fincher and series like True Detective, but does nothing to add to the dramatically rich narrative of a serial killer that is religiously driven. Instead, we get a very bland, one-dimensional mystery that is only interesting when it’s borrowing from its influences. As the characters feel they are getting closer to the culprit and the tensions are intended to rise, it’s more of a struggle not to fall asleep on your armrest rather than to grip it any tighter. Both the protagonist and the killer’s opposing motivations are so openly articulated that there’s very little room to contemplate or theorize.
If not compared to other similar works, perhaps Damaged can be enjoyed as a simple, straightforward exercise in whodunit, with solid performances from a likeable cast. However, if compared, it is nothing more than a derivative, predictable entry into a genre filled with many that have done it better before.
