Oxygen

DVD A-Pix Entertainment
1998, 92 minutes
Rated R 

review by Lee Peterson

Self-destructive NYC cop Madeline Foster (Maura Tierney, of Liar Liar,  Instinct and TV's News Radio) unwinds after a tough day chasing bad guys with a bout of drinking and rough sex with her sadistic lover (Olek Krupa, of Home Alone 3 and Blue Streak). Madeline's severe hangover is interrupted when her unsuspecting Police Captain husband (Terry Kinney, of Abel Ferrara's Body Snatchers) tags her to investigate a kidnapping/ransom demand. A psycho fuck who calls himself Harry--after Harry Houdini-- (Adrien Brody, who sandwiched this performance in between The Thin Red Line and Summer of Sam) has kidnapped and buried alive the wife of a wealthy businessman (James Naughton, of the Planet of the Apes TV series, and now a big star on Broadway), and is demanding a million-dollar ransom for her safe return. If the ransom isn't paid within 24 hours (or if the cops get involved), the wife will be left to die. 

   When the cops bungle the ransom dropoff, they arrest Harry and try to interrogate him into revealing where he's keeping his victim buried. Harry spots cigarette burns on Madeline's arm (from her night of masochistic sex), and thinks he sees in her a kindred spirit. "You and I like a little pleasure with our pain," he says, and from then on refuses to talk to anyone but her. 

   The rest of the film is a taut cat-and-mouse game, as Harry reveals bits of information to Madeline while he plots his escape. Comparisons to Silence of the Lambs and Seven are apt, but Oxygen more closely resembles Michael Mann's (underrated) Manhunter and Kathryn Bigelow's (also underrated) Blue Steel (with a healthy dollop of George Sluizer's The Vanishing). Writer-Director Richard Shepard (The Linguini Incident, Mercy) keeps the plot moving quickly, so there's barely a chance to notice the (many) lapses in logic. 

   The real attractions here are the standout performances by Tierney and Brody, who complement each other perfectly. Tierney's Madeline is a strong (albeit emotionally pretty fucked-up) woman, who faces the challenge at hand with grim determination. Brody displays equal parts charm and razor-sharp menace, and if Summer of Sam hadn't bombed, he would be a major star right now. 

   The supporting cast is solid, with the usual, reliable work by Paul Calderon (Ferrara's The Addiction and Bad Lieutenant), as Madeline's cop partner, and Laila Robins (True Crime) as the buried wife with less than 24 hours left to breathe. Dylan Baker (Happiness) supplies a funny cameo as an ace FBI interrogator.

   A-Pix Entertainment's widescreen (1.85:1, with 16:9 anamorphic enhancement) dvd looks and sounds terrific. The sound is  Dolby 5.1 Surround, and Spanish subtitles are included in case you need them. 
The audio commentary track (with Shepard, Tierney and Brody) is fun and informative, with Shepard providing the lion's share of anecdotes.

   Oxygenhad a brief (two-week) theatrical run in Los Angeles last year, and a slightly longer run in France. It's a tight, gritty, no-nonsense exploitation flick that would be perfect viewing in a Times Square grindhouse (if only there still was such a thing!).