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Touch (1996)

Director: Paul Schrader

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From Time Out Film Guide

Reputedly faithful to an atypical Elmore Leonard novel, Paul Schrader's film is an uneasy excursion into comedy, albeit of the spiritual kind. No blame attaches to Depp-alike Skeet Ulrich's performance as the saintly ex-Franciscan Juvenal - his 'cool' charisma itself serves to query Juvenal's genuineness - nor to Walken's high-octane, attention-grabbing turn as 'religionist without a cause' Bill Hill, a failed evangelist mad keen to milk a buck by selling the unwilling young faith healer to the air waves. But eyes start widening when tubby Tom Arnold's fundamentalist Catholic - Hill's potential rival - wanders in, seemingly from another movie. He cuts a ridiculous figure as the most clairvoyant self-seeker in a competitive field. This talky would-be satire can find neither an appropriate tone nor a realised human drama to communicate the ideas. But there are some sharp lines and good scenes, notably those with Bridget Fonda as Hill's accomplice (all dope-head languor), sent to help ensnare Juvenal: her expressed personal - sexual - response to meeting this embodiment of 'goodness' makes cartoons of the other characters.

Author: WH 0000-00-00 00:00:00

Time Out Film Guide

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Cast & crew

Director: Paul Schrader

Producer: Lila Cazès, Fida Attieh

Cast: Bridget Fonda, Christopher Walken, Skeet Ulrich, Tom Arnold, Gina Gershon, Lolita Davidovich, Paul Mazursky, Janeane Garofalo, Anthony Zerbe full cast

Duration: 97 mins


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