Body Parts Blu-ray Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf, February 2, 2020

Adapting a French novel by Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac, co-writer/director Eric Red aims to create a classier style of horror movie with 1991's "Body Parts." One could argue the picture isn't very scary at all, showing more effectiveness as a Hitchcockian thriller concerning a good man's interactions with a bad arm. Red isn't a refined filmmaker, and he wrestles with his B-movie instincts here, endeavoring to make a considered character piece that also doubles as cinematic excitement. Nail-biting material doesn't dominate "Body Parts," as Red has better luck with mystery elements, generating more interest in the central puzzle of transplant surgery and donor shock than the visceral detours of the feature, which play into snoozy slasher routine.A decent family man, psychologist Bill (Jeff Fahey) is trying to get inside the mind of criminal activity, but his life is forever altered after a car accident claims one of his arms. Dr. Webb (Lindsay Duncan) offers the broken man a new future through experimental transplant surgery, adding a mystery arm to Bill's body, allowing him to return to life with his loving wife, Karen (Kim Delaney). However, once he accepts the new appendage, Bill begins experiencing nightmarish visions of murder, while his own temperament sours, leaving him to wonder just whose arm has been used for the surgery.The literary grip of "Body Parts" is found right from the start, with Red doing an efficient job establishing Bill's focus on the criminal mind, visiting prisons to interact with unstable types. His mind searches for answers to behavioral questions, but he's also a practiced man of the house, juggling child care and husbandly duties with ideal responsibility. The horror of the car accident that claims his arm is nicely executed by Red, who delivers a nightmare highway scenario punctuated by a direct fear factor involving a brake-slamming truck driver. "Body Parts" hooks viewers in during the first act, following Bill's visit to the operating room, groggily witnessing Dr. Webb dissect a mystery corpse, giving him one of the arms. Physical therapy follows, along with a return to normality, with Bill finally coming to terms with his new addition, giving him a second chance via medical experimentation.Red could probably make an entire movie out of Bill's surgical experience, reclaiming a life that was almost lost, giving him a new perspective on family and work. But that's not the stuff of screen tension, and soon the mystery of the arm's original owner comes into play, as Bill spies a death row tattoo on the skin, while his mind is poisoned by the new blood. The detective story isn't all that compelling, but the additions of other limb recipients, including artist Remo (Brad Dourif), bring some energy to the mild proceedings. Red also delivers select scenes of gore, keeping things bloody as Bill encounters some painful realities and experiences his own surges of aggression, hitting his own kid, choking Karen, and engaging in a bar fight. Fahey plays everything with customary intensity, but Red doesn't ratchet up suspense with authority, leaving composer Loek Dikker to do the heavy lifting with his exceptional score.