Mary Reilly

A gothic little slip of a film, beautiful to behold but with less substance than the shadowy tendrils of fog that blanket nearly every scene. Frears (The Grifters, Dangerous Liaisons) takes on Robert L. Stevenson's tale of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by way of novelist Valerie Martin's retelling. Dr. Jekyll's (Malkovich) loyal housemaid Mary Reilly (Roberts) figures far more predominantly than any other character here, and it is through her innocent eyes that the story unfolds. As in Stevenson's tale, good Dr. Jekyll announces to his house staff one day that he'll be taking on an assistant by the name of Mr. Hyde. As the butlers and maidservants mutter amongst themselves, the mysterious Mr. Hyde comes and goes at all hours, as does Jekyll himself with increasing frequency. Reilly and the others may be terrified of their master's odd choice of helpmates, but Reilly, in particular, finds herself drawn to this tempestuous man, seemingly wholly comprised of id impulses. It's Reilly's increasingly dangerous (and emotional) connection to both Jekyll and Hyde that forms the crux of Frears' film. Even when she realizes the truth about the pair -- that they are one and the same -- she cannot allow herself to betray her master and call the authorities. Frears apparently wants to probe both the duality of human nature and Mary Reilly's passionate coming-out as a single individual, but what we get instead is a gloriously atmospheric Hammer film without benefit of Peter Cushing. To be fair, Malkovich is a wonderful Jekyll and an even better Hyde -- his evil doppelgänger has none of the simian sub-qualities of Frederick March's portrayal; this Hyde is more of a decadent nobleman, fallen from God's good graces into the night. Roberts is likewise excellent (once you get past her faltering accent), with pale, wan skin and haunted, dark-ringed eyes. However, outside of its stunning set direction (courtesy of England's famed Pinewood Studios), Mary Reilly has little to offer. It's a slight, moribund bugaboo, a bump in the night, and then nothing.