Leonardo DiCaprio in "The Beach."

MOVIE INFORMATION

With 10 as a must-see, Jack gives this film a: Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio Director: Danny Boyle Rated: R, with strong violence, sex, nudity and profanity Length: 120 minutes

ROCHESTERCRITIQUE

Having seen this film, how would you rate it? 10 5 9 4 8 3 7 2 6 1

By Jack Garner
Democrat and Chronicle

(Feb. 11, 2000) -- The idea of paradise implies perfection.

In The Beach, a young American backpacker in Thailand discovers a secluded world with perfect sand, perfect vistas, perfect water and populated by what he hopes is a perfect society.

But people, as we all know, are far from perfect. And paradise is something we lost when Adam literally or figuratively bit that apple.

That's the hard lesson for Richard, the character played by Leonardo DiCaprio in his first major film since Titanic put him on the billboards of the universe. But if The Beach is to be enjoyed, his many fans shouldn't expect a variation of the romantic golden boy of that Oscar-winning phenomenon.

In choosing to do The Beach, DiCaprio returns to the darker tones of such earlier works as This Boy's Life, What's Eating Gilbert Grape? and The Basketball Diaries.

The Beach was adapted from Alex Garland's cult novel by screenwriter John Hodge and director Danny Boyle, the filmmaking team behind Trainspotting. And though the new film is more lush and visually appealing than that grim film, Boyle still manages to heighten the impact of The Beach with visceral imagery, high-energy cutting and sharp-edged social commentary.

As the film opens, Richard is on a solo tour of Thailand and has just checked into a low-end Bangkok hotel. There he encounters young neighbors, a pair of French lovers named Etienne (Guillaume Canet) and Francoise (Virginie Ledoyen), and a wild, drug-scarred madman called "Daffy Duck" (Robert Carlyle).

One crazy night, the manic Daffy tells Richard about a mystical, marvelous island paradise, too perfect to be believed. The next day, Richard finds Daffy dead -- a suicide -- and a map to the fabled beach pinned to his door.

Richard has grown tired of the normal routine of tourism, and is looking for something exotic, unique -- and dangerous. He entices the French couple to join him.

Together they head off for the island, encountering obstacles and adventures on the way.

And once there, they discover a commune of fellow young adventurers, led by the mysterious Sal (Tilda Swinton), living on a corner of a secluded island. The other half of the island is controlled by drug lords who harvest vast fields of marijuana and who routinely patrol with automatic rifles. So far the two communities have enjoyed a shaky truce, but who knows how long that'll last.

Thus the stage is set for an intriguing, somewhat cynical look at trouble in paradise. Foolish idealists and power-hungry young leaders clash, and dangers mount from within, from the scary "neighbors" and from other young interlopers who also try to discover paradise. Soon even nature betrays them.

In a sense, The Beach combines a Woodstock mentality with Lord of the Flies. Indeed, as in that classic novel, man's darker instincts erupt outside the confines of civilization.

But The Beach also tries to update the idea to reflect a generation raised on Hollywood movies, video games and a post-Vietnam world view. As in the book, Boyle's film draws parallels between the collapsing life on the island and key moments from Apocalypse Now and The Deer Hunter, not because these characters experienced Vietnam, but because they know Hollywood's version of that dark chapter.

The connection isn't always clearly made, however, and may confuse some viewers while intriguing others.

More typically, the film also gives the DiCaprio character two romantic encounters not found in the book -- but I guess that's to be expected.

DiCaprio delivers an enthusiastic portrayal of Richard, a young man still trying to determine the difference between courage and foolhardiness. It's also an impressively physical role, with much running, diving, swimming and the aforementioned lovemaking.

Among supporting players, most memorable is Carlyle in the small but pivotal role of Daffy, the insane beach refugee who first tempts Richard and then continues to haunt him; and Swinton, as Sal, the haughty queen of the commune.

The source of Sal's power, by the way, is never clear; nor do we understand why the score of beach residents never question her pronouncements.

Still, the overall impact of The Beach remains effective and thought-provoking. And DiCaprio deserves credit for seeking out such challenging material in the wake of that gosh-almighty big ship.