The Last Time I Committed Suicide Blu Ray Review (MVD Marquee Collection)
The Last Time I Committed Suicide is a 1997 drama film written and directed by Stephen T. Kay. It’s based on a 1950 letter written by Neal Cassady to Jack Kerouac. Neal Cassady (played by: Thomas Jane) in a form of a letter rakes you through his life before and after the suicide attempt by his longtime lover Joan (played by: Claire Forlani). It begins the day of Joan’s suicide attempt with Neal sitting in the hall outside of the hospital room. It goes back and forth from events surrounding the situation. Neal meets up with Ben (played by: Adrien Brody) after everything and he gets inspired to write. He is trying to get his life back together. He runs into his old friend Harry (played by: Keanu Reeves), who suggests the two of them pick up some girls and take them out on a road trip in a stolen car. Neal tries to make everything right with Joan but he decides to hang out with Harry again which leads to some trouble. He convinces his younger ex-girlfriend Mary (played by: Gretchen Mol) to sneak out but her mother calls the police and gets Neal arrested. Neal can’t catch a break in life. Just when something good appears, it is always followed by a disaster. What will happen next with his life? Can he finally get his shit together long enough to be actually happy????
No one really talks about The Last Time I Committed Suicide but it’s a high quality drama with some fantastic performances. This one is a little dark at times but that’s one of the reasons why I appreciate it so much. It’s a top notch script and it keeps you wondering what’s going to happen next with it. The Last Time I Committed Suicide has a very impressive soundtrack which always sticks with you after viewing this. Jazz fans will appreciate classic tracks from Charles Mingus, Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald, Thelonious Monk and Dizzy Gillespie on this Thomas Jane in one of his best roles lead an all star cast for this drama. He plays a guy trying to do his best in life but he ends up dealing with so much that it tortures him and it causes him to make bad decisions around certain company during his dark days.
Keanu Reeves proves here that he can act and he’s more than an action star. He makes this one his own and he’s the best thing about this production. It’s one of his greatest characters in his high profile career and honestly not that many people know about this smaller feature when it comes to his work. It has some excellent eye candy which includes Claire Forlani, Gretchen Mol, and Marg Helgenberger. More than a few familiar faces for the rest of the supporting cast which includes Oscar winner Adrien Brody, Amy Smart, and Clark Gregg. Do youtself a favor, give this one a shot. This one has always been under-appreciated and hopefully it gets more attention with this Blu Ray home video release, RECOMMENDED!!!!!
This 1080p (1.78:1) transfer is definitely a step above compared to the older DVD home video release from Universal. This might be an old master but it’s the best it’s looked so far. The English 2.0 track is solid here and the classic soundtrack really shines on it. It has English, Spanish, and French subtitles. It has a “Trailer” and that’s the only extra on the disc. This one is always priced really good and it’s worth adding to the collection for the cast here. It’s available everywhere right now, CHECK IT OUT!!!!
