A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III may not be a stretch for star Charlie Sheen. His titular character is a party mad guy whose life has passed him by, but it is inhabited with such strokes of genius by Sheen that it reminds us that the man is so talented.
As teased in the A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III trailer, the film is set in a stylized version of Los Angeles and follows the shenanigans of Swan that are established in the film's opening moments. He is a man keenly listening to his subconscious and all the static that one's inner thoughts can bring.
We can firmly state in our A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III review that Sheen, an Oscar nominee, has done the best work of his career. And believe us when we say that although the character might remind us of the actor's persona, it is a triumph of performance that sets it apart from the antics that garnered Sheen headlines.
Sure, Sheen has an alcohol and drug problem and can't maintain a relationship to save his life. But, this is a wildly different trip and we use the word trip in a multifaceted way. This story is mind-bending and is unlike anything we've seen in a very long time. Director Roman Coppola has taken a page from his famous father's directing playbook by crafting a universe that looks like ours, but is yet still cinematically otherworldly in a manner that is disconcerting. Like how Francis' Apocalypse Now was clearly set in Vietnam, but it didn't look like any war zone we saw on the evening news.
The director is working with a Wes Anderson-like cast and crew -- including Jason Schwartzman and Bill Murray -- that even gives the film a bit of an Andersonian feel as well. But, we cannot stress this enough... it is still purely original on so many levels.
Schwartzman is Swan's best friend, a stand up comic who could double for Lenny Bruce. Sheen's a graphic designer who is charged with creating his pal's latest album cover. Although he is missing deadlines left and right, Schwartzman still believes in his buddy.
The movie is a comedy, drama and revenge fantasy that bucks any kind of definition of genre, shown off in the A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III red band trailer. Heck, there's even a dreamy musical segment!
The heart that pulsates this wildly original film is the theme of lost love. Swan has been dumped by the person he believes is the love of his life, Ivana (Kathryn Winnick). He spends much of the movie trying to woo her back, but she isn't having it. Like so many of us, eventually the loss of the love forces Swan to look inward and that is where the film truly finds its brilliance... and gains its title.
A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III is beingreleased on screens in New York and Los Angeles, but is also available on iTunes and Video On Demand. The latter formats are perfect for this flick, as sitting in the dark witnessing the brilliance of Sheen (yes, we said that) is an experience to treasure.