Different techniques that always capture the viewer’s attention include stairs that lead nowhere, police officers who work alone, and heavily worded crime scenes. For example, introducing a rookie cop going out on patrol with an older, more experienced officer who has become jaded due to a case from his childhood is enough to keep the viewers intrigued. That same interest will be there when a police department interrogates a serial killer who is behind bars in hopes of getting his opinion on a new murderer who is trying to take his place.
Like the rest of the movies featured here, the formulas for “Mindcage” also feel like they were poured out and tossed together like scrabble letters. It starts to feel more coherent when we consider the direction of Mario Borrelli and the screenplay written by Reggie Keyohara III, who worked on WarHunt previously.
In “Mindcage”, we are introduced to cops Mary Kelly, played by Melissa Roxburgh from “Manifest” and Jake Doyle, played by Martin Lawrence, a renowned figure who stunned fans in his first-ever drama as law enforcement officers investigating a set of intricately arranged slayings of women who were sculpted and posed like angels in death.
These crimes would be spectacular and unforgettable on their own, but they are also reproductions, or perhaps overly zealous reproductions, of some unknown killer’s work from an old case in which Jake had some involvement. A character that is known as “The Artist” in the thriller genre (John Malkovich) portrays him best. While The Artist does not seem very passionate about assisting the law enforcer who was crucial in sending him to jail, his willingness to bargain did suggest a willingness to bend. So, they take the cop’s offer does the three strike a deal.
Don’t be misled into believing that “Mindcage” attempts to convey any message about the concept of murders, violent acts against women, God, or even religion. It touches on all of these themes, but “Mindcage” does not seem to care about any of these. Does the killer, who is targeting these women, most of whom are prostitutes, think of them as inherently immoral? Why does Jake have an exorcism book in his glove compartment? And why is there a homeless man with a gun stalking Mary? And what does it have to do, if anything, with Malkovich’s emotionless and silly “Artist,” who, for the most part, remains idle, speaks while carving out phrases, and solves enigmatic questions?
Lawrence and Roxburgh, the protagonists of our story, are completely out of their depth. Lawrence is certainly an impressive performer and a captivating presence in most of his films, but he fails to embody the psychologically tortured Jake, whose portrayal is so simplistic, so bereft of compassion, and so shallowly tragic that he is seen ingesting fistfuls of white tablets to show his suffering.
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Mary from Roxburgh is a tougher nut to crack the relentless cop who is completely on the rise, always striving to show that she is better than what her coworkers dismissively think of her. But she has this at-home boyfriend who is pious, and has a disturbing set of manners, making him the biggest red herring for the film. It is tough to believe that she’s the cop she aspires to be when the world’s most suspicious man resides in her home.
“Mindcage” is filled with ridiculous dialogue the prison warden inquires if Mary possesses a medical license, to which she replies, “No. Just a master’s in common sense.” and ridiculous clues. It almost seems like Borrelli is doing a Code Da Vinci type of narrative, where every biblically aligned sign and symbol leads to something vastly holy or ghastly unholy. The answer is, unfortunately, much less clever and significantly more unsatisfactory than the story’s twists and turns would previously lead you to believe. It is quite entertaining attempting to solve the puzzle that the film presents, but it is clear that the film heavily over and underwhelms its viewers in regards to mystery.
This is amplified by the low-budget effects on “Mindcage,” considering the writing does a poor job of leveling with the low-budget. The movie bears a remarkable bafflement that is overly vexing. The so-called feeling of hallucination is more irritating than captivating, especially given the movie runs on a budget. To be fair, none of the characters engage the viewers’ empathy and none of the mysteries are all that fascinating Jake and Mary do not appear to have any pity for the victims that both the policemen and the murderer, or murderers, treat like nothing but mere objects. Jake and Mary do not seem to have any pity. This is by far the funniest bad movie I have ever witnessed. “Mindcage” is chock-full of unintentional comedy. I cannot stress the fact that ‘goofy’ and ‘unfunny’ best describe VOD films, “Mindcage” would be best watched with a group and a few drinks.
With some tweaks here and there, “Mindcage,” alongside its Artist, could Market itself as a dream come true for camp crime drama fans that don’t technically exist. However, at this juncture and I mean this literally “Mindcage” appears to be overly devoted to its mawkish hyperdramatic narrative. The result is a rather unpleasant film with few characters worth investing in, opting instead to chase after deep, but convoluted, plots. There’s nothing worth putting one’s faith in other than the respite, that is.
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