The Dying Gaul Reviewed at Sundance 2005

I had a chance during my time at Sundance 2005 to see The Dying Gaul, an excellent psychological thriller that takes place in Hollywood and an Internet chat room. Normally, having the Internet play a central role in a film is the kiss of death, but Gaul pulls it off thanks to amazing performances by  Patricia Clarkson, Peter Sarsgaard (told you I'd give him a good review!), and Campbell Scott.

The film is directed and written by Craig Lucas, and is adapted from his theatrical version which from my limited Google research was performed in New York City in the late 90s (which probably explains the chat rooms central role).

Gaul is a classic love triangle thriller executed masterfully. This could easily bee a Hitchcock film if one removed a handful of modern day references like the Internet and AIDS.

Sarsgaard plays a screen writer who's offered a million bucks for his masterpiece by a powerful studio executive played by Scott. The catch is that he has to change the gay lovers in the film to a heteroe sexual couple, something the studio executive thinks is worth doing for one million dollars.

Of course, it's not that simple. The screenwriter has promised his lover, who recently died, that he would never change the film, and the studio executive is a closeted bisexual who, although happily

married, is and looking to have an affair with Sargaard.

As you can imagine this doesn’t end well. The three principle characters all experience the range of emotions, from guilt to anger, and intense desire to extreme sorrow, at various points in the film. These overlapping emotional peaks and valleys, played to perfection by three of the best actors of our time, makes the story unfold efficiently, but never rushed.  

The Dying Gaul is powerful with out being gratuitous, sensual without being crass, and suspenseful without being sensational. It’s an old-school thriller done right, which for fans of the genre are so hard to find these days.