This is America in the near-future, but it could be a Third-World country.
The country is wracked by internal warfare and is run by a series of brutal dictatorships. Strange, misanthropic legendary folksinger Johnny Fate is sprung from gaol to give a benefit concert to benefit whoever has his or her hands closest to the till .... but will the present fragile peace last long enough for the concert to take place? Will Johnny Fate last long enough?
This is one hell of a strange drama. Ezydvd.com.au has it categorised as 'comedy' on its site, and I think that's as good a way as any to approach this mish-mash of action and high-school philosophy. Jeff Bridges, Jessica Lange and Luke Wilson all seem to act well, but just what they're acting at, or why, is anyone's guess.
The whole thing's a total mess. And as for Bob Dylan, who really plays himself -- stick to the singing, Bobby; acting just isn't your bag. He comes across as a worn-out hobo who's hit the bottle just a few too many times. He seems to hate himself, and hate the world. Probably hated the movie, too.
However, if you're a Dylan fan, you'll enjoy the movie just for the soundtrack. Bob is at the top of his recent form, and his performances are the best thing in the movie. And as the owner of approximately 300 different Bob Dylan CDs, I'm a reasonably safe judge of that side of things.
The soundtrack also contains some great cover versions of such songs as 'Senor (Tales of Yankee Power)' by the Jerry Garcia Band, and a knock-out performance of 'One More Cup of Coffee' by Turkish singer Serab Erener.
Best way to watch this movie is either drunk or stoned or both -- or, as I did, watching from the distance as you do something which can keep at least one hemisphere of your brain involved totally in something else. I was kneading dough to make bread -- that let the images flash past me in a suitably phased-out way. In the case of this pretentious, intellectually vapid flick, distance is definitely needed to lend enchantment.
Dylan fans will want this one, but don't expect a movie worthy of the presence of the 20th Century's greatest singer/songwriter.
Both the anamorphic widescreen image and the 5.1 Surround sound bring us Masked and Anonymous in the best possible condition, a quality street ahead of the bootleg VCD a Dylan fan in the States sent me a year back.
The only extra is a fullscreen trailer which seems to have been prepared for television audiences.
