Parents' Guide to Spinning Man

This little thriller, part lurid potboiler and part philosophical quandary, plays like a sturdy B movie: It won't change the world, but it might keep late-night viewers from changing channels. Spinning Man skillfully provides visual bits of the mystery without offering any definitive answers; it constantly keeps viewers off-balance and unsure about whether Evan is innocent. Thanks to Pearce's performance, however, we hope that he might be. Evan's lectures feel realistic and thoughtful, rather than perfunctory or functional; they offer genuine reflection on the rest of the story. Frequent images of mice and traps also help the movie's atmosphere.

Brosnan offers another interesting layer; his detective Malloy speaks slowly, and his every behavior is measured (he's shown to be a recovering alcoholic), which makes his moments with Evan intelligent and engaging. The climactic sequence with the two of them, while unorthodox, is also fairly brave and somewhat fascinating. Likewise, Driver's Ellen -- rather than being a sidelined "wife" character -- actually has feelings and a past, which she calls upon to make her character believable and sympathetic. Of course, Spinning Man also knows how to work more below-the-belt angles -- it has its moments of erotic desire and anticipation -- and it doesn't add up to anything exceptional, but it's still a dizzy entertainment.