The Doors

Oliver Stone, USA 1991, 141 minutes

Another Oliver Stone movie epic fortunately sees him moving away from war and politics toward a far more interesting (if perhaps less `worthy') subject - those cornerstones of the American dream in the `60s: sex, drugs and rock `n' roll.

The story of The Doors is essentially the story of Jim Morrison (a truly astonishing turn by would-be rock god Val Kilmer). We see him arc from poet and experimental film-maker up to fully fledged rock idol and back down into drugs and death, with Stone indulging his obsession with mysticism in flashbacks to Morrison's childhood witnessing of a Native American car-wreck. Stone captures brilliantly the atmosphere of the time (complete with a great scene at the famous `Factory',with Morrison paying his respects in an audience with Andy Warhol).

The surrounding characters are all eclipsed by Kilmer's slinky, pouting Lizard King (watch for dazzlingly authentic renditions of several Doors' songs) but there are other excellent performances to watch for. Kyle MacLachlan is superb as keyboard genius Ray Manzarek and Kevin Dillon excels as drummer John Densmore, the first member to realise that the man leading them to stardom may not be quite all there. Meg Ryan and Kathleen Quinlan add a little glamour as Morrison's girlfriend and mistress.

Accused unfairly of being rambling and unfocused, this is an epic slice of drugged-up nostalgia which succeeds in showing both the greatness of the man, as well as the fatal flaws that led to Morrison's downfall.

"Intense, overblown, riveting, humourless, evocative, self-important and impossible to ignore" - Variety

Review by Andrew Hesketh
Taken from EUFS Programme 1996-97