In the steamy prison showers on the second tier of B-House the next day, the walls are smeared with blood. An "inmate" dangles, noose around neck, from the ceiling. In a corner, Stone studies a monitor and, like the Wizard of Oz, manages the scene from behind a curtain. Everyone drips very real sweat. Harrelson is being dabbed with yet more gore. Downey, naked to the waist, head wrapped in a kerchief, hyperventilates in preparation for one of his big comic moments. Oblivious to Mickey, who's about to tape a gun to his neck, Downey's Gale chatters furiously into a cellular phone, triumphantly telling off his wife, then frenetically calling his dissatisfied mistress.

"It's like Keystone Kops," Stone explains. "Really, I'm not saying I'm doing slapstick, but I'm looking for that edge, where the physical becomes humorous."

There's a reason for Stone's advance spin control; almost three years later, the press' treatment of JFK still rankles-a lot. "I made my movie and tried to do it quietly, and I was lambasted before it even got out. When I defended the movie, I got lambasted for seeking controversy " He cuts himself off with a long-suffering smile and a dismissive wave.

"(The media) makes all things equal because it gives time. We're satirizing the tabloids," Stone says. "But it's part of a larger canvas of modern America and crime and the media. We poke fun at the warden, the system, with a capital S. We poke fun at the idea of Justice, at the idea of Righteousness, the concept that in America there's a right way and a wrong way."

"I knew it would be a danger for somebody like me because there's no real upside," Stone continues seriously. "The subject matter is violent, and it doesn't have the broadest possible appeal."

He turns and stares hard into the distance. "But f--- that." * (Additional reporting by Anne Thompson and Steve Daly)

Originally posted Sep 09, 1994 Published in issue #239 Sep 09, 1994 Order article reprints
Page 1 2 3 4
You Might Also Like

Add your comment

The rules: Keep it clean, and stay on the subject or we might delete your comment. If you see inappropriate language, e-mail us. An asterisk * indicates a required field.

500 characters remaining