Unspeakable (2003)

This cornball horror flick feels like a two hour set up to a better film.

Scientist Diana (Dina Meyer) has created a new machine that can read people's minds, and she is trying it out on criminals. She uses it on poor Cesar (Marco Rodriguez), accused of murdering a border patrol agent. Cesar is executed, but Diana and her assistant Jack (a sleeping Lance Henriksen) know he is innocent. Recently captured crazed notorious serial killer Mowatt (screenwriter Pavan Grover) is up next on death row. Diana hooks up her dorky machine, but Mowatt is very different. He can will people to do things like commit suicide. He can use the machine to read Diana's mind, as well. Diana wants to study Mowatt more, but the governor (Jeff Fahey) won't allow it, despite his past relationship with Diana. As psychotic penitentiary warden Blakely (Dennis Hopper) pushes Mowatt's execution date closer, Diana seems to be the only person interested in seeing him live.

From the beginning, "Unspeakable" cannot get anything right. Diana and Jack are serious medical scientist types, but crumble and grimace at all the executions and autopsies, as if they never saw blood in medical school. Mowatt might be the Devil, might be Man Evolved, but mostly he is a big giant question mark who is never explained. The film spends too much time on the innocent Cesar storyline, which goes nowhere. Dina Meyer was still looking for that breakout role that would propel this talented woman into the big leagues, but this was not it. She channels Jodie Foster's Clarice Starling. Henriksen is so laid back, I honestly forgot he was in the film whenever he was not onscreen. Hopper does another over-the-top performance like we have never seen "the crazed warden" character before. Likewise with Fahey's turn as the politician more concerned with the upcoming election than anything else. Yawn.

The direction is okay, the gore effects are good, but I kept waiting for something to happen during "Unspeakable." After the film ended, I am still waiting. "Unspeakable." Unwatchable. Unbelievable.

Stats:
(2003) 108 min. (1/10)
-Directed by Thomas J. Wright
-Written by Pavan Grover
-Cast: Pavan Grover, Dennis Hopper, Dina Meyer, Lance Henriksen, Jeff Fahey, Marco Rodriguez, Michelle Wolff, Mark Voltura, Miguel Perez, J.D. Garfield, Angelo Jaramillo, George Michael Tapia, Audra Wise
(R)