I consider myself a huge Nicolas Roeg fan (The Witches & Don't Look Now are two very important, iconic films to me) and I really didn't think I'd find a movie by him I didn't like, but WOW, this one-of-a-kind freak show is pretty much an ABOMINATION.
First and foremost, I find Theresa Russell's voice and presence to be like nails on a chalkboard throughout this entire film, and she is the lead. I'm sorry Nic - I know she was the love of your life, but damn, she's tough to swallow in this one. I thought she was really great in Eureka which I also watched somewhat recently and was very impressed by, but in this one her overacting just hits in the all the wrong ways. It's not goofy enough to laugh at, but way too over-the-top to take seriously. Then you have Gary Oldman in his second big role, and that which has to be the most absurd performance of his career - through the entire film he's literally going back and forth between an obnoxious 7 year old boy in a grown man's body and a sniveling rapist (I think?) - the sequences that revolve around this interchanging are as confusing and discomforting as they sound, but without much redeeming value, if any at all. You'll find yourself asking, "So, this is incest then, right?" Normally, concepts more on the taboo side tend to resonate with me, since they generally come off as stemming from a place of pain and sincerity - in this case, and I think it's mostly due to an unfocused tone, it feels too much like middle-ground schlock - no heart but also not enough camp to at least give it mere entertainment value. On the subject of camp, the bizarre hospital scenes between Christopher Lloyd and the iconic Sandra Bernhard, which are the only comedic scenes, feel like they are in the wrong movie entirely - what is going on here?!
Honestly, the movie just gets less enticing as it goes. The one thing Track 29 has going for it is that I've never seen anything quite like it - the problem is simply that I dislike almost everything about it - it never quite feels like it's ON TRACK to go anywhere enjoyable, and it doesn't - but, if you've ever wanted to see Gary Oldman acting like a 6 year old child crossed with a horny dog, humping a woman's leg repetitively - this is the only place you'll find it. It's currently free on Tubi in a "transfer" that might look even WORSE than VHS? I can't tell if that enhanced the experience , or made it worth - either way, this is one bizarre and unexpected stinker.
First and foremost, I find Theresa Russell's voice and presence to be like nails on a chalkboard throughout this entire film, and she is the lead. I'm sorry Nic - I know she was the love of your life, but damn, she's tough to swallow in this one. I thought she was really great in Eureka which I also watched somewhat recently and was very impressed by, but in this one her overacting just hits in the all the wrong ways. It's not goofy enough to laugh at, but way too over-the-top to take seriously. Then you have Gary Oldman in his second big role, and that which has to be the most absurd performance of his career - through the entire film he's literally going back and forth between an obnoxious 7 year old boy in a grown man's body and a sniveling rapist (I think?) - the sequences that revolve around this interchanging are as confusing and discomforting as they sound, but without much redeeming value, if any at all. You'll find yourself asking, "So, this is incest then, right?" Normally, concepts more on the taboo side tend to resonate with me, since they generally come off as stemming from a place of pain and sincerity - in this case, and I think it's mostly due to an unfocused tone, it feels too much like middle-ground schlock - no heart but also not enough camp to at least give it mere entertainment value. On the subject of camp, the bizarre hospital scenes between Christopher Lloyd and the iconic Sandra Bernhard, which are the only comedic scenes, feel like they are in the wrong movie entirely - what is going on here?!
Honestly, the movie just gets less enticing as it goes. The one thing Track 29 has going for it is that I've never seen anything quite like it - the problem is simply that I dislike almost everything about it - it never quite feels like it's ON TRACK to go anywhere enjoyable, and it doesn't - but, if you've ever wanted to see Gary Oldman acting like a 6 year old child crossed with a horny dog, humping a woman's leg repetitively - this is the only place you'll find it. It's currently free on Tubi in a "transfer" that might look even WORSE than VHS? I can't tell if that enhanced the experience , or made it worth - either way, this is one bizarre and unexpected stinker.