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Jack Be Nimble is a 1993 New Zealand gothic horror film directed by Garth Maxwell, who later described it as "a stylised supernatural tale". The film stars the American Alexis Arquette and the New Zealand actor Sarah Smuts-Kennedy. It includes one of the final movie appearances of the legendary British/New Zealand actor and musician Bruno Lawrence.
Jack Be Nimble | |
---|---|
Directed by | Garth Maxwell |
Written by | Garth Maxwell Rex Pilgrim |
Produced by | John Barnett Murray Newey Jonathan Dowling Kelly Rogers |
Starring | Alexis Arquette Sarah Smuts-Kennedy Bruno Lawrence |
Cinematography | Donald Duncan |
Edited by | John Gilbert |
Music by | Chris Neal |
Distributed by | New Zealand Film Commission, Essential Films |
Release date |
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Running time | 92 minutes |
Country | New Zealand |
Language | English |
Plot
editJack (Arquette) decides to put an end to the abuse he has received from his adoptive parents, and runs away to find his long lost sister, Dora (Smuts-Kennedy). Although Dora has fared much better since their abandonment and subsequent adoption, she is also drawn to use her telepathic powers to find him. Along the way, Jack is constantly pursued by the four daughters of his adoptive parents, seeking revenge for their parents' demise at the hands of Jack and his invention.
Home release
editThe film is available on DVD and Blu-ray.
Critical reception
editThe film has received many positive reviews.[citation needed] Stephen Holden of The New York Times wrote that "the film cuts back and forth between scenes of their childhood and adolescence, it evokes their misery and isolation with a feverish intensity that recalls scenes from Hitchcock and De Palma". Dominic Corry of the New Zealand Herald described the film as "one of the strangest New Zealand films ever made" and thought that it "deserves way more of a cult reputation than it currently enjoys".[1] Kim Newman of Empire Online said that Jack be Nimble was, "Not a film likely to please everyone, but strong stuff nonetheless".[2]
References
edit- ^ "Jack Be Nimble". NZ On Screen. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
- ^ "Jack Be Nimble". Empire. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
External links
edit- Jack Be Nimble at AllMovie
- Jack Be Nimble at IMDb
- Jack Be Nimble at NZ On Screen
- Jack Be Nimble at Empire Online