Movie Review by Almiro Jorge
Starring: Jason Biggs, Natascha McElhone, Michael Ironside, Sean Tucker
Director: Saul Metzstein
Cpl. Rudy Spruance (Jason Biggs) is dropped off on a runway in the middle of desolate Greenland. After being attacked by a swarm of mosquitoes, he wakes up in the military infirmary where he is being tended. His mistaken identity causes him to be appointed as the newspaper editor to increase morale amongst the troops in the base. Although hesitant at first, he soon takes the reins and has a pretty successful paper.
In a romantic sub-plot, Rudy and his Sergeant (Natascha McElhone) begin to fall in love. As he follows her off the base he stumbles upon a secret bunker which is not very well concealed. The film then transforms from a black comedy into a political conspiracy thriller.
This film could have been a resounding success, but GUY X miserably misses the mark. Following the less than well-scripted screenplay, the comical efforts seem rather bland and when the film suddenly turns into a thriller it lacks pace and excitement. GUY X is puzzling and seems pointless but to its due, it does have its moments.
Jason Biggs’ performance as leading man is poor and his character is uninteresting. Probably the best aspect of the film was the unusual choice of casting McElhone for the part of Seargent Irene Teal. Although the chemistry between the leads was not up to scratch, McElhone seems to be interesting enough to make the film a little bit more enjoyable.
It is never easy to follow in the footsteps of films like MASH and CATCH 22. Loosely based on the same events, this film is too close to the two classics and therefore requires more than just average filmmaking with an average cast.
