CHOKE

FOX

RELEASED 21 November 2008

Surprisingly, until now 1999’s ‘Fight Club’ was the only movie adaptation of a Chuck Palahniuk book. Perhaps the cult author’s very black and sarcastic world outlook seems to have scared filmmakers off. It didn't put director Clark Gregg off, who wrote the screenplay himself and shot the movie in a lightning-fast three weeks.

Victor Mancini (Sam Rockwell) is a sex addict who has sex during sex addict meetings. He pretends to get food stuck in his throat in restaurants to get sympathy and a cuddle from strangers. He works at a colonial times theme park. And his demented mother (Anjelica Huston) doesn't always recognise him during visits to the hospice. Frustrated by his life, pretty young Dr. Paige Marshall (Kelly Macdonald) has a radical idea about treatment that may bring his mother's mind back. Victor is willing to try, especially as it involves sex with the doctor!

Bad language and sex feature heavily in 'Choke', but the film's black comedy is where it's strengths lie. Sam Rockwell is the centre of the movie, and he does a great job, improving with every performance of late. He really is an appealing loser, and Anjelica Huston brings a batty charm to the mother. Unfortunately, the film never opens up into a fully-fledged movie, seeming happy to coast along on a low-key track for the short ninety-minute running time. There are some amusing moments, and the film is certainly unusual in subject, but it ends up as nothing more than a quirky curio. 'Fight Club' is Palahniuk's unchallenged masterpiece, but perhaps that's unfair when you consider the peerless vision of director David Fincher.

TWO OUT OF FIVE