Genre:
Thriller
Release Date: 05/20/2003
SubTitles: English/French/Espanol
Dubbed: English/Espanol
Sound: DD5.1/DDS/DD2
Run Time: 86 min
Distributor/Studio: HBO Home Video
Point of Origin, produced by
HBO, marks the feature directorial debut of accomplished cinematographer
Newton Thomas Sigel (
Three Kings,
X-Men). The film is based on an actual serial arson investigation that took place in Glendale, CA, in the late '80s and early '90s.
Ray Liotta stars in the film as
John Orr, a skilled arson investigator with a sixth sense for finding the "point of origin," the place where a fire was started.
Orr also has a knack for locating the devices used to start the fires.
Keith Lang (
John Leguizamo), his ambitious young protégé, calls
Orr "Professor."
Orr is stumped by a series of big fires, some fatal, which seem to have been set by the same arsonist. A commission is appointed to investigate the case, headed up by ATF agent
Mike Matasso (
Colm Feore) and fireman
Mike Camello (
Cliff Curtis).
Orr uses his influence to get
Lang appointed to the panel. But
Matasso and
Orr are immediately at odds with each other, as the ATF man seems to resent
Orr's efforts to maintain control of the investigation.
Orr is also dealing with his troubled marriage to
Wanda (
Bai Ling) and is having an affair with the volatile
Kate (
Illeana Douglas). As he gets deeper into the case, trying to get inside the head of the criminal,
Orr begins to worry that the arsonist has some kind of personal involvement with him. Then the commission uncovers a link to an earlier string of fires, and uncovers evidence that the arsonist may actually be a fireman. The actual investigators,
Matasso and
Camello, have cameos in the film, and
Camello also served as one of the film's technical advisors. These events were also the basis for
Joseph Wambaugh's book
Fire Lover: A True Story.
~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
Newton Thomas Sigel's
Point of Origin is based on a fascinating true story, but
Sigel, a respected cinematographer, detracts from the story's impact by emphasizing inappropriately flashy visuals over verisimilitude. The over-the-top style of the film ranges from the frequent scenes that run backwards (somewhat appropriate, as investigators are trying to figure out the crimes' "point of origin") to a cheesily heavy-handed shot of a judge's gavel coming down in slow motion, complete with a jarring sound effect, to a goofily out-of-place fantasy sequence wherein arson investigator
John Orr (
Ray Liotta) fights off his enemies using moves ripped from
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and various Hong Kong shoot-'em-ups. The cast, including
Liotta,
John Leguizamo,
Illeana Douglas, and
Colm Feore, is uniformly good, and the actual story being told is astounding. While some of the effects
Sigel uses to tell his story (particularly the fire effects) are impressive, it's difficult enough to believe that these incredible events actually happened. In the end, the wild visuals just make the film's connection to reality that much more tenuous.
~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
;)
