A romantic, chaotic, time travel flick with Adrian Brody as a Gulf War vet wrongly committed to a cruel asylum. Sounds a lot like 12 Monkeys, but without any of the humor or trippy logic. Through a series of unfortunate events, Brody finds himself under the “care” of Kris Kristofferson, which includes being wrapped in a filthy straightjacket and locked in a morgue drawer for hours at a stretch. The delusional patient thinks he skips 15 years into the future during his little naps, visiting a screwed-up girl he met shortly before being committed. Just like any reasonable person, she takes in the rambling stranger and drops everything to help him in his time traveling mission. (Amazing how that schtick always gets the babes in the movies.)

For all its glitchy imagery and claustrophobic mood, The Jacket is surprisingly straightforward. What could have been a complex brain-bender takes little advantage of its sci fi premise. The paradoxes of time travel are oversimplified and less logical than anything Bill and Ted could imagine. The ending is shockingly upbeat for a story that puts a bullet in the head of the lead character in the opening montage. There’s an intriguing premise and scary atmosphere, but it feels like some key elements didn’t make the final cut.

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