Fast, Cheap & Out of Control

Writing in VL-5/98, Mike D'Angelo said: "If you're one of those people who goes to the movies primarily "to relax," for God's sake stay away from Errol Morris' latest byzantine documentary, which is guaranteed to jumpstart your brain and get it racing in about a dozen different directions at once. Morris, whose 1988 The Thin Blue Line ranks among the greatest non-fiction movies ever made, wisely declines to overtly comment about the relationship between his four disparate interview subjects--a wild animal trainer, a topiary gardener, a naked mole-rat specialist, and a robot scientist--but the parallels are plentiful, and the film is simultaneously a fascinating biology/anthropology lesson and a profound meditation on a subject no less daunting than the very nature of existence. If that description makes it sound remotely dry or academic, then I've done it a grave disservice; even those who think of documentaries as a chore will thoroughly enjoy this one, which is more consistently entertaining than most of Hollywood's 1997 output combined." Although the DVD release is extra-less, the disc sports a good, clean transfer and fine Dolby Digital stereo sound. An ALA Notable Videos for Adults selection, this is highly recommended. (R. Pitman)