The late great film director Stanley Kubrick and eclectic thesp John Malkovich have both earned copious amounts of adulation and praise from critics and film buffs alike, and for good reason, thanks to their respective resumes. 

Kubrick’s achievements needn’t  be stated in great detail as the single-minded  and meticulous director virtually stands alone and defies categorization and comparison thanks to his impressive and highly eclectic filmography (Paths Of Glory, Lolita, Dr.Strangelove, Barry Lyndon”, Full Metal Jacket) which, though may not have totally enthused the mainstream, has still forged him as a household name. 

On the other hand, despite the fact that actor John Malkovich has impressively portrayed a wide variety of eye-catching supporting characters in a host of mainstream films (Places In The Heart, In The Line Of Fire) before emerging as a formidable leading man  (Dangerous Liaisons, Of Mice And Men) with many a scenery chewing performance he only really became part of the public’s consciousness when writer Charlie Kaufman totally dedicated a  film to the inner workings of this intriguing actor, (Being John Malkovich).  

It appears then, at least on paper, that a movie which features this obscure acting talent portraying the reclusive auteur is a marriage made in heaven and a must-see for all film lovers.  

In this “true-ish” account (as the blurb states) Malkovich  portrays  flamboyant con-man  Alan Conway who deceived and tricked many a gullible soul pretending to be the reclusive but much adored Staley Kubrick during his two year stint filming (what was to be his last flick) Eyes Wide Shut in the late 90’s. 

Despite the fact that Conway neither looked nor sounded like the great director mattered not, due to the fact that the string of dim-witted characters he conned in his minor scams were all wanna-be stars themselves and the truth is, that unlike say a Spielberg or Hitchcock, the legendary director was rarely sited in public and his physical attributes remained relatively anonymous. 

As a result, the effeminate and always heavily imbibed Conway was able to sweet talk a host of aspiring actors, a foppish restaurateur, (a campy Richard E. Grant) and a gaudy cabaret singer (a scene stealing Jim Davidson) with false promises and guarantees and then proceeded to live off their cash advances while delicately balancing a series of personas in his chameleon-like state. 

Hence the main enjoyment of this uneven and over the top black comedy is witnessing Malkovich’s  hammy performance which includes a handful of different accents, lurid wardrobes and  mannered personas which are both comic and, at times, a little infuriating. Predictably some of Conway’s incarnations work better than others but there’s no hiding Mr. Malkovich’s undoubted talents and fearlessness as he delivers just the right amount of charisma (when on the con) and necessary pathos when portraying the frail inner man of this curious main protagonist whose need for acceptance rendered him quite a pathetic figure.                                

Perennial assistant director Brian Cook would seem the best credentialed director to helm such a tale, as he and scribe Anthony Frewin both collaborated with Kubrick on such projects as The Shining and Eyes Wide Shut, but despite the directorial debutant’s impressive associations his visual storytelling skills are only modest at best and nearly as drab as  the Ol’Blighty skyline. 

Still, throw in some clever but customary shot-by-shot Kubrick recreations (accompanied by the distinctive classical themes from 2001: A Space Odyssey and A Clockwork Orange) and you have a deliciously campy comedy which, though, may be somewhat a little less than the sum of its parts is still, at times, hilarious and will be greeted enthusiastically by fans of Kubrick and Malkovich alike.