Posted: 02/16/2004

Bad Apple

(2004)

by Clint Fletcher

Premieres Monday, February 16 on TNT.

There’s just something about dark comedies that puts a smile on my face. Pulp Fiction started the craze ten years ago, with griddy violence and sharp dialogue mixed together to form a masterpiece. Films since then, tv and theatrical, have a tendency to focus on the mob.

Bad Apple is one of those films.

Chris Noth (Cast Away, Julius Caesar) stars as Mike Tozzi, an undercover FBI agent who volunteers to take down a notorious mob boss, who is wonderfully played by Elliot Gould. Using a shady informant to get all of his dirty work done, Tozzi falls hard for the informant’s sister, Lorraine (the luscious Mercedes Ruehl). But plans go awry when Tozzi’s cover is blown, and his life is threatened by Tommy Bellavita (Robert Patrick).

And there’s a twist to this little tale… Bellavita is Lorraine’s ex lover, which further pushes him to get rid of Tozzi. As the film dives into its third act, a game of cat and mouse is played with Bellavita on the chase for Tozzi and Lorraine, and everyone else after Tozzy, including his employer.

Still with me? Don’t worry, folks, its not a complicated story. While Bad Apple may not be an ordinary tale, it certainly has enough wit to make up for its own lacking. With Elliot Gould making murder jokes and Noth casually acting like nothing is a big deal, this film really pulls through on laughs. Noth has great acting support from the terrific Colm Meaney (Con Air, The Snapper) as his partner in crime, playing the same anal-retentive guy he has in other films. He also has a counterpart, his VERY anal-retentive wife who decides to tag along on the wild ride.

While the dialogue remains sharp, the wit and dark humor is what excessively takes over. Any film that can make something so miniscule as a toothache mean all the difference between life and death is surely a film to see. So plop your butt in front of your tv this week, tune into TNT and take a big bite out of Bad Apple.

Clint Fletcher is a Chicago writer and filmmaker.

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