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At first gape, Alex Cox would seem the least likely interpreter of Jorge Luis Borges. Cox, best known for his Punk/New Wave era classics Repo Man and Sid and Nancy has a messy, overflowing visual style; where as the Argentine master’s enigmatic puzzle-box stories are always meticulously constructed. On the other hand, Death and the Compass, one of the mammoth short stories of the 20th century, is a share drenched in the Kabbalah and the search for order in chaos and it is one of the more consuming tenets of several mystical traditions that Wisdom may be hidden in the trash pile; or, as in another of Borges’ stories, the manifestation of the omniprescence of God may point to up in an unremarkable basement in Buenos Aires.

Cox’s film is stout of action and life, his sets overflowing with visual detail and unbiased slow junk very reminiscent of Gilliam’s sets for Twelve Monkeys (done on a grand smaller budget, however) . The movie is remarkably faithful to the particulars of the current account. Peter Boyle is very profitable as the obsessed and unorthodox police detective Lonrott who is design too clever for his maintain fine. Miguel Sandoval is perhaps a bit too eccentric in his performance in the story framing sequence added by Cox, and the whole framing sequence may be overly “punched up” with peculiar sound effects and random jump cuts. But overall it’s an friendly if unexpected interpretation of a classic account.

The disc sports a solid anamorphic transfer. There are a few specks at reel changes and some grain in the night shots (not an attain of the transfer, though, this was a fairly outrageous budget film), and some nice extras: commentary from Cox and one of the members of Pray for Rain who serene the dazzling gothy/techno vaguely retro-80s collect, and an early 30 cramped short of Cox’s called Spider Web.

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This is a lost gem of a movie that deserves a distinguished wider audience. Terry Gilliam fans, in particular, should bask in it.

For any aficionado of Jorge Luis Borges’ writing, “Death and the Compass” by Alex Cox is a must skip. Any notice of Borges’ subtle fantasy and intricate intelligence is lost in the glut of this unsuccessful Terry Gilliam-wannabe. Its post-apocalyptic setting, flashy colors and characters, warped camera angles and close-ups may all stylistically remind viewers of Terry Gilliam films such as “Brazil”. Except unlike a Terry Gilliam film, I can’t seem to score a point to this movie. There’s a complete lack of luminous dialogue, even the actors appeared stumped by the lack of titillating or realistic lines. All of its flashy techniques and synthesizer sounds give the impression that Cox aimed too hard to beget this film an instant “cult” classic. Along the plot, the modern short chronicle is lost all together. The sole redeeming point of the movie comes at the finale, where an impressive vision of the labyrinthine Triste LeRoy is recreated. I really liked two of Alex Cox’ other movies, “Repo Man” - which is about the supernatural adventures of a newcomer in the car repossession business, and “Sid and Nancy”. I contemplate both movies have fabulous merit, but “Death and the Compass” is a miss.

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So why am I giving this DVD five stars? Well, the previous reviewer was fair in that this DVD contains a “lost gem”. It’s objective that this “gem” is not the feature film most would suspect; it is instead the “bonus” short film by Paul Miller called “Spiderweb”, also based on Borges’ epic “Death and the Compass”. Though according to the audio commentary by Alex Cox, this 20-minute short film was made in the seventies, it is shot in positive dark and white, reminiscent of a 1930s’ film. It’s steeped in visual symbolism that elaborate literary expressions. The entire film is thoughtfully shot and carefully edited. Unlike often-seen student shorts, it feels more like a mini feature film. Like a Borges tale, it is short and sweet. And similarly, I will support my review of it short. For any Borges aficionado, “Spiderweb” is a rewarding appreciate obtain. For any movie aficionado, it is an knowing adaptation of a Borges narrative that the author himself would have celebrated of.
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