The Caveman's Valentine (R, 2001)

Once a brilliant musician and composer, Romulus (Samuel L. Jackson) now lives in a cave in the park. He is severely mentally ill. Images of giant moths and fears of an imaginary villain haunt him. But he still loves his wife Sheila (Tamara Tunie), who appears in hallucinations to give him advice, and his daughter Lulu (Aunjanue Ellis). On Valentine's Day, Romulus finds the dead body of a young man. The police think it was an accident. But Romulus believes it was murder. He wants to find the killer, even though he'll have to brave the real and imagined terrors of society's daily interactions. He begins to think that the murderer is David Leppenraub (Colm Feore), a photographer who specializes in homoerotic images of savaged and maimed angels. Aware that no one will believe him, Romulus sets out to prove Leppenraub is the killer.

Jackson and director Kasi Lemmons deftly blend Romulus' internal and external worlds in THE CAVEMAN'S VALENTINE. Romulus' rational self is represented by imaginary conversations with his estranged wife (a beautiful performance by Tamara Tunie). Feore as Leppenraub and Anne Magnuson as his sister give multi- layered performances that lend weight and complexity to the story.

Romulus, like Leppenraub, is haunted by nightmare images and obsessions. For Romulus, though, they are madness. For Leppenraub, they are art. Romulus' fears make people feel discomfort and pity. Leppenraub's make people feel titillated and clever. Romulus must use his madness to understand the killer, but he must use the part of him that is not mad to put the pieces together and make sure that the killer gets caught.

Studio: Universal Pictures
Director: Kasi Lemmons
Cast: Rodney Eastman, Samuel L. Jackson, Sean MacMahaon
Genre: Drama
Run time: 105 minutes
Theatrical release: March 2, 2001
DVD release: June 1, 2001
MPAA Rating: R
MPAA explanation: language, some violence and sexuality