Acensbart
Excellent but underrated film
Glimmerubro
It is not deep, but it is fun to watch. It does have a bit more of an edge to it than other similar films.
Deanna
There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.
Eric Curto
Now I just got done watching this off of Netflix and felt the need to say a few words on it. It isn't a bad film, but it isn't a film I'd say you have to go out and buy. If I had bought this on DVD and spent more than 5 dollars on it I would have been a bit disappointed in myself, but its not a bad film to watch if you happen to go passed it or just on something like Netflix. Robert Patrick, plays a detective, good at going undercover and uncovering hidden truths, after the death of a friend at a mental institution, he uses his deep rooted suicidal tenancy to commit himself in hopes of finding out who killed his friend. Robert plays the role well, he is certainly the highlight of the film and the reason I felt invested in the film. The film itself plays with your head a bit, it can be slow moving at times and really picks up when the 3rd act begins. There is another patient in the film, a woman, who seems to be abused by hospital staff. that Robert's character seems to really wanna protect more than anyone else. The only other thing I can really comment on this film is that it has some star power. Besides Robert Patrick, who is best known for T2: Judgment Day and Die Hard 2: Die Harder, we also have Sarah Douglas, who is best known for Superman, Superman II(both cuts)and Conan the Destroyer and Malcolm McDowell, who is known for Clockwork Orange and more recently Rob Zombie's Halloween and Halloween II.
wes-connors
Slightly maladjusted, due to a troubled childhood, private investigator Robert Patrick (as Nicholas "Nick" Tordone) is suspicious when his psychiatrist, Peter Brown (as Frank Meyers), is reported to have hanged himself. Mr. Patrick thinks his shrink, who happened to have been a good friend of his suicidal father, was murdered. So, Patrick goes undercover at the "Fallbrook" insane asylum where Brown worked. There, he meets mental Malcolm McDowell (as Sullivan Rane aka "Doc"), crazy costumed Jason Schombing (as Tommy aka "Captain Destructo"), and Deborah Worthing (as Amanda aka "Mary Pickford").Patrick (as "Magnum") teams up with Mr. Schombing to solve the mystery. Institution head Henry Gibson (as Edward Bellichek) and patient doctor Sarah Douglas (as Emily Hill) are among those considered to be sane. James Seale's "Asylum" seems curiously unattended - patients are free to wander around without much supervision. Additionally, the building has been equipped with loose, human-sized vents for easy escape, spying, or travel - even in a solitary confinement room. This is all more laughable than suspenseful, but the scene where Patrick goes to the edge of the roof is nicely done. Passable on late night TV.**** Asylum (5/6/97) James Seale ~ Robert Patrick, Malcolm McDowell, Jason Schombing, Henry Gibson
Ape2512
Not the first thriller to take place in a mental institution, but one of the better. Leading man Patrick does a nice job as an unstable P.I. who goes undercover to find the killer of his shrink. Nice mix of suspense and humor - might have been better without all the laughs.Malcolm McDowell is fun to watch as a murderous patient named Rane. Is he the killer or does he hold the secret to the mystery?? Good acting outshines the slick camerawork. Nice surprise thriller.
ChrisHawk78
There is a very interesting plot and one or two reasonably good actors but the script is average and most of the performances are not very convincing. The Idea of something fishy going on in a mental home has been there since the invention of mental homes and should by now have reached a higher level. The shockers in this movie are plump and the pace is really slow. And who has not guessed from the very first that the guy in the surgical clothes was Rane? And who was silly enough to believe that Rane was the bad guy? Who would have considered the director of the mental home (the poor rotter in the wheelchair) to be good and sane? It is altogether rather obvious. I really do not know what kept me watching this movie. Perhaps it was just the hay-fever that prevented me from sleep.
