By Lindsay Christ

Anthony Hopkins may have finally taken on too much. He is the writer, director, composer and star of the new movie “Slipstream,” and it seems that he has bit off more than he can chew. The movie is about a screenwriter named Felix Bonhoeffer (Hopkins), whose scripts begin to come alive as he slowly loses his mind and becomes unable to tell the difference between reality and fiction. On the surface this seems like an interesting plot line, and it would be if he had explained to the audience more clearly what was reality and what was fictitious. That combined with the fact that the scenes from the murder mystery movie that he has written don’t make much sense in regards to one another makes viewers feel that they too are losing their mind along with Bonhoffer.

Every cast member has more than one character they play, but viewers are never told which characters are real and which ones are in Bonhoffer’s imagination. The only thing that remotely saves the movie is the talented cast. Christian Slater gives an intense performance in the beginning of the film, but does not appear much during the rest. The best performances by far were by John Turturro and Michael Clarke Duncan. Duncan plays various roles in the movie, and in the short time during which he plays each character he is able to bring them to life. Turturro is one of the few actors in “Slipstream” who plays only one character throughout the entire movie. He plays the heartless producer who provides comic relief. Hopkins also casts his wife, Stella Arroyave, as his character’s wife among other parts. She plays her role as a concerned wife believably, and satisfactory in her other roles in the movie as well. Hopkins plays the part of Bonhoeffer well as a confused and frightened man who is on his way to implosion, showing that acting is his first and foremost talent.

It is not clear whether Hopkins used this unconventional method of writing in order for the viewer to better relate to Bonhoeffer’s insanity, but the effect of it is not a very enjoyable movie experience. Viewers spend more time trying to figure out what is going on in every scene that it doesn’t leave room for them to enjoy the movie. Before a scene can be completely comprehended, the film moves on to a new scenario and further confuses viewers. Hopkins brings an interesting concept to the table with “Slipstream,” however, one wonders how he was able to write such a fragmented script.

Utilizing actors in various roles throughout, Christian Bale and Anthony Hopkins star in the psychological drama “Slipstream.” Despite Hopkins’ return to directing, the film is overall confusing for audiences. (allmoviephoto.com)