The Hand

'The Hand' is an early film from director Oliver Stone, and one which receives much criticism. But I can't help feeling that it is a far better movie than most people give it credit.

The plot involves a comic strip artist (Michael Caine) who loses a hand in a road accident. The hand is never found, but before long it comes back to haunt the artist in hallucinations. His life begins to fall apart, his relationship with his wife collapsing, before eventually the hand comes to life and goes on a murderous rampage, acting out the artist's own anger and frustration.

Sound silly? Well I guess it does, but then so do most horror movies. Sound original? Again, no - its an idea that's been done before. But does it entertain? Yes, it does.

The film's strength lies mainly in the central performance of Michael Caine. His portrayal of an individual struggling to come to terms with the loss of a limb is extremely convincing, his reactions to others sympathy and his own frustration nuanced and moving. As the character disintegrates over the course of the movie Caine rises to the occasion, delivering a performance that is genuinely unnerving.

It is true to say that Caine can always be depended on, no matter how bad the material, but 'The Hand' does have more to offer than its main actor.

The scenes involving the murderous hand are scarier than you might expect, managing to overcome the inherent silliness of a mobile, sentient dismembered hand with strong direction, atmospheric lighting and camera work. And the murders are gruesomely effective.

Admittedly the film is flawed. There's a slightly unpleasant whiff of misogyny in the film's portrayal of women, and although the audience knows where the plot is heading from a very early stage, Stone takes a rather long time getting us there, creating a slightly laborious mid-section. And it could be said that the epilogue betrays the conclusion reached in the climax, though personally I found it to be a great way to end the film, with Caine pulling out all the stops for a memorable scene.

'The Hand' may be no masterpiece, but I'd say its definitely worth a look - you may be pleasantly surprised.