Keane

Keane marks writer/director Lodge Kerrigan’s third film in 11 years, following the acclaimed Clean, Shaven and Claire Dolan. If nothing else, the filmmaker has long since proven that his movies are worth waiting for. Keane follows William Keane (Damian Lewis), a young man of questionable sanity, through the course of a few particularly eventful days in his life. When we first meet William, he is wandering around a bus terminal trying to locate his kidnapped daughter (who actually went missing months before, we soon discover). We don’t learn much about William – he’s in his early 30s and was once married – but it’s clear almost immediately that he’s in desperate need of some serious mental help. Keane doesn’t contain much in the way of a plot – if you’ve seen Clean, Shaven, you probably have a good idea what to expect – but that soon becomes irrelevant thanks to Lewis’ astounding performance. Lewis, best known for his work in films like Dreamcatcher and various British mini-series, is an absolute revelation as the title character and he delivers a daring and completely riveting performance. It’s the sort of role most actors would kill for, though very few would be able to disappear into it as effectively and thoroughly as Lewis. Keane is one of those rare movies that rattles around in your head long after the credits have rolled, and if there were any justice, both Kerrigan and Lewis would receive Acadamy Awards for their work here.

***1/2 out of ****