I just posted the review for Kalifornia. I remember seeing this movie in the theater when it first came out. I went for David Duchovny as I was a big X-Files fan. I remember that I found it very disturbing, but I don't recall if what bothered me was the violence or Brian Kessler not being Fox Mulder enough.I was not looking forward to seeing the film again, but 16 years later—this time studying a different character as the action unfolded—I really enjoyed it. I like movies that show we are not affixed to one place on a continuum like violence. Sure, Early is at one extreme end, but he moves more to the center when he pistol whips Brian instead of shooting him and then handcuffs Carrie to the bed instead of killing her after she embeds that shard of glass in his side. Brian and Carrie—both at the opposite end of the continuum since they have never held guns, let alone used them—have to slide over to violence if they hope to survive. The movie is an interesting study in adaptability—Early who tries to adapt to friendship, Brian and Carrie who have to accept their animal instincts.
You can read the review here.
