Eureka (1983)

Eureka: Directed by Nicolas Roeg. With Gene Hackman, Theresa Russell, Rutger Hauer, Jane Lapotaire. In 1925, Arctic prospector Jack McCann (Gene Hackman) becomes a rich man when he strikes gold, but twenty years later, he faces major personal and family problems.

“Eureka is an undertaking where the director has a vision and, against all odds, follows it through.The downside was the woeful distribution of the film on completion, resulting in lack of audience participation due to a delayed release and scant showings (it played in just two London cinemas); just goes to show that certain distribution companies are flummoxed when they have a unique picture to promote. Eureka boasts a great across-the-boards cast, with Gene Hackman giving his customary all in a driven and committed performance, ably supported by Theresa Russell, Rutger Hauer, Joe Pesci and in a minor role, Mickey Rourke. Director Roegu0026#39;s use of locations, his skill in cutting, the harnessing of atmosphere and the adroit use of music add up to an intriguing whole, loosely based on fact. It was made at the start of the 80u0026#39;s after an astonishing run of films by Roeg.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eActually, this is a very quirky film, immersed in other things; in this case it is the Kabbalah. (This is made clear when Rutger Hauer wears a shirt with the Tree of the Kabbalah drawn on the front to a formal dinner in the middle of the film.) I found this release of the film both impressive and a let-down. It is impressive because of its ambition as a film; it is a let-down because (the way it is edited) most sense of u0026quot;suspenseu0026quot; is replaced by puzzlement; this is The Zohar meeting Hollywood and suffering from the meeting. In the end, I donu0026#39;t feel this movie has any grand message for the world, except perhaps the pointlessness of having so much wealth if you donu0026#39;t do anything with it.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eOverall rating: 7 out of 10.”