Roy Sweeney (Caan) is bad to the bone and his evil legacy has been passed down to his flesh and blood. It’s inevitable, in that old “sins of the father being visited upon the next generation” kind of way. At the start of the movie, the young Arlis naively assists his father Roy in committing a brutally violent crime. Its legacy remains with Arlis into his adult life. As an adult, Arlis (Quaid) is a loner who moves from town to town as a vending machine supplier. He stocks candy, cigarettes, condoms, the dancing chicken arcade — anything he might be able to turn a couple bits on. It’s a routine, albeit solitary and nomadic, but it has no emotional investments and Arlis seems to like it that way. Then the unexpected occurs and things change again forever. Flesh and Bone is an interesting sophomore choice for the film writer-director who debuted four years back with the captivating Fabulous Baker Boys. Kloves has traded in the merely seedy textures of Baker Boys for the thoroughly bleak dimensions of Flesh and Bone. But before you go running for the exits, let me say that Flesh and Bone is worth the immersion. It’s a bone-chilling drama that’s hard to categorize, but somehow that’s a major part of its appeal. Part tragedy, part thriller, part comedy, part ensemble piece, it’s a story as ancient as narrative itself and as contemporary as a Texas psychopath. A hard story to describe, not so much in terms of giving away its secrets but more in the sense that the movie is about its textures, its foreboding and its inevitabilty. A great asset in conveying that sense of atmosphere was cinematograher Philippe Rousselot (A River Runs Through It, The Bear, Hope and Glory, Diva), an artist whose contributions always add to a film’s success. The other great thing Flesh and Bone has going for it is its performances. You’ve got to admire a movie that takes the usually charming Dennis Quaid, renowned for his alligator smile, and has him smile not even once. Quaid and Ryan are receiving a lot of attention for their uncharacteristic performances but, to me, the real knock-out performances are those of Caan and newcomer Paltrow. Caan’s commitment to his spooky character is total and unmitigated. His Roy is the kind of guy you find yourself liking until something he says or does makes you recoil in sudden horror and self-doubt. Paltrow is simply a younger, more inexperienced version of Roy who will have become even scarier by the time she reaches his age. Flesh and Bone is far from a comfortable experience to witness, so if you like your films “over easy” this will not be to your liking. But if you like entertainment that cuts to the marrow, then Flesh and Bone is something to see.
This article appears in November 5 • 1993 (Cover).
