A successful TV star during the 1960s, former "Hogan's Heroes" actor Bob Crane projects a wholesome family-man image, but this front masks his persona as a sex addict who records and photographs his many encounters with women, often with the help of his seedy friend, John Henry Carpenter. This biographical drama reveals how Crane's double life takes its toll on him and his family, and ultimately contributes to his death.
Watching this cold, detached movie, you never get the sense that Schrader cares one whit about Crane or is even curious about understanding the compulsions that wrecked his marriage and career and eventually cost him his life.
– Rene Rodriguez,
Miami Herald,
1 Nov 2002
rotten:
It never answers the key question: Why should we care?
– Stephen Hunter,
Washington Post,
1 Nov 2002
fresh:
Admirably unconventional film.
– Desson Thomson,
Washington Post,
1 Nov 2002
rotten:
How do you make a movie with depth about a man who lacked any? On the evidence before us, the answer is clear: Not easily and, in the end, not well enough.
– Rick Groen,
Globe and Mail,
8 Nov 2002
rotten:
Schrader really isn't interested in Crane except as the straw man for his moral lessons about sin and sexuality and the nature of celebrity.