You know who Kevin Spacey is, right? The actor, best remembered for works like American Beauty and LA Confidential, has been avoiding all public appearances for the last couple of years after four sexual assault allegations came out against him in 2017.
Spacey faced accusations, but the jury ruled in his favor and the actor has been struggling to climb back up the ladder in Hollywood ever since. Not to suggest that he has acted in any of the films released lately he was present in the Italian film The Man Who Drew God and did voiceover work for the Brit indie Control but he hasn’t yet appeared in a major studio film after 2018’s Billionaire Boys Club.
His recent performance in Peter Five Eight can be termed as one of the most significant in terms of his career. The film, which has now been released on Prime Video, has him playing a contract killer, codenamed Peter Five Eight. Peter is assigned to kill a real estate agent named Sam (Jet Jandreau), who hides a horrific secret under her glamorous life.
Peter is in the employment of a man, Lock (Jake Weber) who has a need for Sam’s death, though the motive is only revealed towards the last parts of the film. Does she make it? At this point, there will not be any spoilers, so you will have to watch this noirish movie. That said, your prospects of reaching the end credits are as good as Sam’s, as this is one film that is never going to appear in the ‘10 Best Movies Starring Kevin Spacey’ list.
Most people will come into this movie in order to watch Kevin Spacey back on the screen. He has not been in front of the cameras for a long time, therefore, any new movies that he is part of will have people who are eager to see whether or not he still has that charm.
I’m happy to announce that Spacey is quite good in this movie. He relishes playing the hitman, his signature nasty insults reminiscent of his House of Cards’ character Frank Underwood. In one stunning episode that doesn’t fit with the rest of the film, he actually gets to dance and show off his singing voice, recalling his Bobby Darin in Beyond the Sea from 2004.
Without Spacey, this film would be barely watchable. He doesn’t reach his top form but at least says a couple of memorable lines, in contrast to his lesser-known co-stars who are provided with even fewer opportunities.
Peter Five Eight is the moniker he goes by in the film. This name is accepted in the movie without any arguments and we see it tattooed on the actor’s neck. At the same time, this title has some religious hints, pertaining to submitted in the Bible verse in 5:8 of Book Peter. Here we read: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.”
And Peter is indeed that “roaring lion” (almost literally at one point) although, as he himself claims during one shot, he also experiences himself as a “fallen soul” a rather veiled humor at Mr Spacey’s present time as a disgraced but not yet finished former Hollywood star.
It is very safe to say that bad movie lovers will rejoice in watching Peter Five eight.
Peter Five Eight is not a film that Spacey would have taken any part in previously in his career. There is a clear distaste for the premise and such a low budget crime film in what he would have considered his golden years as an actor. However, in today’s world, after what was his so-called house of cards collapse, he is an aspiring actor looking for any job for pay as he tries to rebuild himself.
Due to the scandals that surrounded him, Spacey has not been the most active or desirable actor for many directors in recent times. So, thanks are owed to Peter Five Eight’s director Michael Zaiko Hall for employing him in a pivotal role. Now of course, Hall may be utilizing Spacey but it is apparent that it is a good idea for his film as it would have hardly generated much intrigue without the former Keyser Soze.
Hall has so far been capable with his direction but unfortunately for him, outside of Spacey, Hall is bound to lose out on many good actors who could possibly elevate his movie into something that could be called ‘good’ or even ‘average’. The other two above the B grade level actors are Jake Weber and Rebecca DeMornay and the remaining cast appears to be B-movie actors and (most likely given their performances) total novices.
When describing the performances in the film, how many of the cast can you deliver ‘Decent line delivery’ is likely to be the first question one would have to pose, given how so many appeared stiff in their roles. The lead actress Jet Jandreau at least attempts to show some emotion in delivering her lines, however, the way she speaks resembles someone in the 1940s which is out of keeping for the tone of a contemporary movie.
In terms of plot logic, there’s very little, so don’t expect a coherent narrative. Plot holes run rife as well which maybe bad editing practice but more often than not, the direction has been haphazardly scripted.
But if you’re one of those who have enjoyed such notoriously bad films as Troll 2 and The Room, then perhaps you will like Peter Five Eight. Such scenes are so painfully poorly acted and scripted, it is my hope that some people find them to be worthy of their time. Or the scene where a cabin is filled with gas and the actors are desperately repeating the word “gas” in most of their lines, looking not frightened at all of dying in an instant.
Conclusion
Let’s not mince words: Peter Five Eight is not a good movie. But if you allow yourself to accept this is going to be an awful experience, there are at least a few chuckles to be had with the incompetence of it all. And while this is not the comeback vehicle that Kevin Spacey craves, he at least looks better than his co-stars. Here is wishing that he finds a better role soon!
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