suture

In many ways, Suture (1993) is a proto-typical Sundance film: a cerebral deconstruction of classic Hollywood noir, too artsy for its own good but too interesting to write off completely. It's a work made by filmmakers who are still learning their craft, either too stubborn or too naive to make the small tweaks that would turn an offbeat "indie" into a more bankable thriller. For a film festival crowd, that's something to crow about. For a general audience, it's nothing but aggravation.

Vincent Towers (Michael Harris) is a cold, cruel millionaire's son suspected of killing his father. Clay Arlington (Dennis Haysbert) is the brother he didn't know he had. When Vincent discovers their incredible resemblance, he fakes his own death to escape the murder charge, leaving Clay in the driver's seat when he detonates a remote-control bomb. Alive but disfigured, Clay's surgeons use old pictures and video to reconstruct his face - which is actually Vincent's face - while treating him for a (convenient) case of amnesia.

As Clay struggles to recover his identity, an identity that isn't actually his own, he falls in love with his plastic surgeon (Mel Harris of Thirtysomething) who responds to his new gentle nature. Meanwhile, the police, let by Lt. Weismann (David Graf), continue to pursue their case against Vincent / Clay using an eyewitness to the murder, an eyewitness who might just identify the wrong man.

Filmmakers Scott McGehee and David Siegel have cooked up a fun (if preposterous) scenario that makes references to Hitchcock, noir and '60s Japanese cinema. But it's a coldly clinical experience, made all the more experimental by its central conceit: although brothers Vincent and Clay are supposed to look exactly alike, in the film they're played by different actors of different races. Ostensibly the reason behind this decision was to make the audience question their own ideas about race, identity and the creative process. But in the end all it really does is distance the viewer from the already poorly sketched characters.

Suture has plenty of ticks in the plus column: a solid and sympathetic performance from 24's Dennis Haysbert, some gorgeous widescreen black-and-white cinematography and a retro-chic vibe that hangs well with the cool kids like Soderbergh and early Tarantino. But there's no second act to speak of, no attempt at characterization and, most importantly, no soul underneath the style.

Arrow Video's Blu-ray / DVD combo, though, finds the company at the top of its game. The new 4K restoration is some of the most impressive B & W cinematography on the hi-def format to date. And it's accompanied by a tremendous half-hour Making Of with filmmaker and cast interviews (which explains the art film background of almost everyone involved). Additional extras include deleted scenes, trailers and Seigel and McGehee's first short film, Birds Past.