Pathology is another example of an interesting premise plagued by poor execution. The creators of the extremely entertaining Crank (2006, R) turn to a more serious tone in this crime-thriller. However, the shortcuts they took with Crank can not be made in a film like this.

Milo Ventimiglia, of ‘Heroes’ fame plays Dr. Ted Grey, a recent med-school graduate at the top of his class who gets transferred to the pathology-division at a prestigious hospital. Once there he finds himself overwhelmed and corrupted by a ‘game’ played by other residents: who can commit an unsolvable murder.

The films characters are immature as are the filmmakers, it seems. It’s funny how much the two share characteristics. The residents have some views on moralities and modern life, as do the filmmakers, yet they both fail in bringing about a logical execution to those views. The characters all seem desensitized and disconnected from their work, as do the writers and director.

The dialogue is, surprisingly, not riddled with as many cliches as one might think a movie of this caliber would suffer from. The acting is somewhat solid, save for a few scenes. The gore is plenty, as is the sex and drugs.

The film attempts to delve deep into the dark side of the human psyche but just ends up on the shallow end.

In the end it’s hard not to feel somewhat offended by what we’ve seen. Yet somehow, Pathology is still somewhat redeemable. I found myself curious as to how it was all going to wrap up. The movie, however, is not by any means for the faint of heart.

Posted by Narrator in Movies, Reviews • Add to del.icio.us Add to Digg