DVD Review: Basquiat (A-)

Basquiat (1996) (A-)
Directed by Julian Schnabel
Starring Jeffrey Wright, Claire Forlani, Benecio Del Toro and David Bowie
MPAA: R
Grade: A-

Review by Scott Standish

Acclaimed artist Julian Schnabel chose familiar territory for his directorial debut: the life of painter Jean-Michel Basquiat. Perhaps no one exploded onto the New York City art world like the talented but troubled Jean-Michel.

Jean-Michel Basquiat got his start writing street art (some would call it graffiti) throughout lower Manhattan. As his style become well known, he began showing in galleries, and soon became close friends with pop superstar Andy Warhol. His career took off, soared to new heights and crashed at a remarkable rate, even for a New York city painter. His sense of humor, his intelligence and his naive trust in others ultimately led to his downfall.

Jeffrey Wright is absolutely amazing as the genius painter, and David Bowie gives a surprisingly well performance as Warhol. Benicio Del Toro plays Wright's best buddy Benny Dalmau and Michael Wincott does a stunning job as the art critic Rene Ricard. Toss in small appearances by Dennis Hopper, Parker Posey, Christopher Walken and Willem Dafoe, and this is one star studded picture.

Basquiat has a great pace, allowing the story to unravel in a non-hurried pace. It keeps its distance from the characters as they make mistakes, and does not judge them. At the same time, Schnabel artfully frames the story with a great visual sense. The movie looks fantastic, but Schnabel wisely does not try and compete with the characters on the screen. Schnabel completely captures the energy, the back biting, and the creative force of the 1980's east village art scene in Basquiat.

Basquiat is a highly underrated film that continues to hold up well as time goes by. If you aren't familiar with Basquiat's work, you will still find this story fascinating. If you are a fan of Basquiat, you will not be disappointed in this excellent portrait of an artist ahead of his time.

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