Mystery Train
(1989)
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Jim Jarmusch broadens his scope with this episodic tale of a night in the life of several Memphis, Tennessee, inhabitants who unknowingly find themselves lodging at the same hotel. The first episode, "Far from Yokohama," is about two Japanese teenagers (Youki Kudoh and Masatoshe Nagase) on a pilgrimage to the birthplace of rock and roll, Sun Studios, where Elvis Presley and Carl Perkins got their start. In the second story, "A Ghost," two strangers meet and become friends. One is an Italian tourist, Luisa (Nicoletta Braschi), who is on the way back to Rome in order to bury her husband; the other, Dee Dee (Elizabeth Bracco), has just dumped her British boyfriend, Johnny (Joe Strummer). During the middle of the night, Luisa is visited by the ghost of Elvis. "Lost in Space," the final segment, brings all the characters together briefly, as Johnny goes on a violent drinking spree with Dee Dee's brother (Steve Buscemi) and another friend (Rick Aviles). Throughout all of this, the hotel's night clerk (Screamin' Jay Hawkins) and bellboy (Cinque Lee) listen to the local radio and engage in aimless conversation. Jarmusch once again uses his distinct sense of humor to dispel cultural myths--this time it's the legend of Memphis--by placing an eclectic group of tourists into an unquestionably American environment. |
The first American film to be wholly financed by Japanese cash, this is indie cinema close to its best. Demonstrating his customary, quirky genius for character, director Jim Jarmusch effortlessly weaves together three stories set in a moth-eaten Memphis hotel, which is little more than a seedy shrine to Elvis Presley, whose spirit pervades the entire picture. The scenes involving Japanese rock pilgrims Masatoshi Nagase and Youki Kudoh are a delight, while the postmortem into Joe Strummer and Steve Buscemi's bungled robbery is tantamount to a Tarantino prototype. Capping the lot are the exchanges between night clerk Screamin' Jay Hawkins and bellboy Cinque Lee.
Halliwell's Film Guide
Rambling, leisurely film that contains a multitude of small pleasures.