Cast: Jason Andrews, Eddie Daniels, Kevin Corrigan, Kimberly Flynn, Sean Hagerty
Director: Matthew Harrison
Producer: Jonathan Starch
Screenplay: Matthew Harrison and Christopher Grimm
Cinematography: Howard Krupa
Distribution unknown
Rhythm Thief, is a real art film-lover's movie. Shot in grainy, 16 mm black-and-white, it's more notable for inventive cinematography and quirky dialogue than for solid plotting or characterization. Matthew Harrison, directing his second feature (his first, Spare Me -- a "bowling thriller" -- was seen only by friends and family), emphasizes technique over narrative. The story is trite and the characters aren't engaging, but Harrison's efforts can be appreciated on a technical level. He got a lot out of an 11-day shooting schedule and an $11,000 production budget.
The main character is Simon, a New York City streetside dealer of bootlegged cassette tapes. Despite the attempts of Fuller, a local hanger-on, to hook up with him, Simon manages to maintain a one man business. Then, one day, the bodyguards of an all-girl band, 1-900-BOXX, catch Simon taping a concert, track him down, and beat him senseless. This begins a cat-and-mouse game that leads Simon into progressively more dangerous territory, even as he tries to sort out his confused sex life and keep his cat well-fed.
Rhythm Thieffeatures some really innovative shots. When Simon is being beaten up, we see the attack from his point-of-view. On another occasion, a scene is photographed from the perspective of a cat's litterbox. Somehow, I don't think that has ever been done before. However, there's only so much to be gleaned from this sort of movie. It's really just a slice-of-life motion picture sheathed in a cinema verite style -- of passing interest, but not the sort of thing I would recommend going out of the way for, and certainly not if you don't have a predilection for art-house fare.
© 1995 James Berardinelli