Dawson's dark side (From Western Telegraph)

Dawson's dark side

The best films are usually bred of one person's vision. (Discuss - 1,000 words on my desk by Monday).

Seriously, films are an ensemble effort. But it seems the films that leave their mark on history have one driving force or inspiration.

And so often that person is a novelist.The single vision of a great novelist is gold dust to a studio. But the screenwriter's endeavour in turning a few hundred pages of prose into a script is no picnic.

This week's big release is the the vision of two men: the novelist and the writer/director.

The Rules of Attraction (18) is adapted from the caustic novel by Brett Easton Ellis.

The main character is the brother of the lead character in another of his novels, American Psycho, which was also adapted two years ago to what I can only describe as cult success. John Avery has taken the novel about the inner ugliness of beautiful contemporary youth and made a gripping and sexy drama.

Dawson's Creek star James Van Der Beek finally plays his age in what is being described as America's answer to Trainspotting.

Van Der Beek plays Sean, a drug dealer on an arts college campus in New England. He cares nothing for the many lovers he has had - and they are usually too drugged to care for him.

But he thinks that Lauren (the fabulously beautiful indie-chick, Shannyn Sossamon) is sending him love letters.

Lauren, however, is actually 'saving herself' for her boyfriend back home. Into this mix is the bisexual Paul (Ian Somerhalder) who has a thing for the dangerous side of Sean - and who once dated Lauren.

This is not a film for the faint hearted. I'm not surprised Van Der Beek, so long the cleanest boy on US TV, has chosen to tread a considerably darker path with this.

Avery's script is clever and sharply executed, mixing and matching story lines in this often excruciatingly sadistic story.

But all in all I was left unsatisfied. I came out feeling unsure of what to make of it, largely because I wondered what attracted Easton Ellis to write the story in the first place. It won't be popular, but it I do think it's worth seeing.

Also released is The Recruit (12A) where ex-Ballykissangel boy, Colin Farell finds himself sharing the limelight with Al Pacino. Farell plays a computer-whiz drafted by the CIA. He's far from suitable but his mentor, Pacino, must try and change that.

It's not the most accurate portrayal of an inter-generational relationship or the most intriguing plot, but its quality performances do just enough to make it above average.

I think Evelyn (PG) a vehicle for Pierce Brosnan, is also released.

Unfortunately, this Bosnan pic, glorying in all his newly recovered Irishness is likely to bomb. Brosnan plays a loveable, but hard drinking 'Oirishman' whose wife leaves him. (Yeah, it's quite a stretch of the imagination.) When his kids are taken away he has to mend his ways to get the cherubs back. It's dreadfully predicable as it attempts to play our heart-strings like a fiddle. If you like your syrupy family dramas with extra syrup added on top, you'll like this. It's an Easter TV special if you ask me though.

VAUGHAN SIVELL