Film Review - D-Tox Film Review

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House review of D-Tox (2002)

“I see you, but you don't see me”

After the murder of his girlfriend at the hands of the serial killer he was chasing, FBI Agent Jake Malloy (Sylvester Stallone) is sent to recuperate in a remote detox programme exclusively for cops. However he soon begins to suspect that not everyone is who they claim to be, as fellow patients begin to drop like flies during a 'convenient' blizzard.

Coming on the heels of 'Get Carter', 'Driven' and 'Avenging Angelo', D-Tox is probably most notable as the film that conclusively marked the end of Stallone's post 'Cliffhanger' resurgence. Despite a premise with lots of potential ('The Thing' meets 'Seven') and a pretty decent cast, D-Tox fails on almost all fronts. The writers spectacularly fail to capitalise on the potential for a paranoid and 'who-dunnit' delivering a lazy, cliché ridden script with about as many holes as a cheese grater (the serial killer arrived at the D-tox programme days before Malloy! Did Malloy announce his planned D-Tox on facebook?). And with a retreat full of cops, how come no one actually tries a bit of detective work to figure out who the killer is? Instead the killer is uncovered when Malloy accidentally finds evidence in their bedroom, which he just happened to be locked into!

Despite a cast that boasts some great character actors like Jeffrey Wright and a sadly underused Kris Kristofferson, remarkably its only Sean Patrick Flanery (yes, the guy from The Indiana Jones Chronicles) who gives a memorable performance, making the most out of his brief screen time. Considering the facility is supposed to be full of damaged individuals going cold turkey, it's amazing how forgettable most of the characters are.

It’s such as shame, as so many of the ingredients for a great pot-boiler were present. As the storm threatens to freeze them, their meds go missing and they become increasingly suspicious of each other, the movie could really have come into it’s own as they all try to figure it out before they are bumped off. Instead everyone just runs around senselessly until they are brutally slain (for a bunch of armed cops, they don’t seem to put up much of a fight) or until Malloy stumbles on a conveniently placed treasure trove of evidence.

Dull, lazy and full of wasted potential (no, I'm not talking about Stallone), this ice bound thriller is itself, a bit of a cold turkey.

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