reel critics

Vince Novack

Following a brutal purse snatching at crowded Penn Station in New

York, police question a man after he helps the battered victim to her

feet. Though clearly innocent regarding the robbery, the man is taken

into custody when he tells them he just arrived from another planet.

The man’s name is Prot (Kevin Spacey) and he claims to be from

“K-PAX,” one thousand light years from earth. Unresponsive to large doses

of psychotropic drugs, Prot is assigned to the care of Dr. Mark Powell

(Jeff Bridges) at the Psychiatric Institute of Manhattan.

There is a certain indefinable quality that separates the merely good

actors from the great. Kevin Spacey has demonstrated this quality in

“The Usual Suspects” and “American Beauty,” deservedly receiving the

Academy Award for each effort. The role of Prot allows Spacey to exhibit

a full range of emotion, from the bemused cockiness of a superior

species, to the twitchy panic of a suspected psychotic. This is his film

and he carries it effortlessly with a beautifully understated

performance. I would not be the least surprised if Spacey earns yet

another Oscar nomination for his work in “K-PAX.”

Bridges is aptly cast here as the somewhat befuddled yet dogged Dr.

Powell. The part is well developed and his professional and familial

relationships ring true. Powell’s compassion and humanity are central to

the plot and Bridges convincingly displays these characteristics. A

first-rate supporting cast, including Mary McCormack as Powell’s wife

Rachel, nicely compliments the production.

Based on the novel by Gene Brewer, “K-PAX” benefits from a

well-written screenplay by Charles Leavitt and seamless direction by Iain

Softley. At the screening I attended, the mostly adult audience seemed to

be completely engrossed. “K-PAX” is the type of film that generates much

discussion and stays with you long after the houselights come up. In this

day of throwaway amusements, what more can one ask?

* VINCENT A. (VAN) NOVACK, 48, is the director of institutional

research at Cal State Long Beach.