A crime thriller with noir influence, Chameleon tells the story of Patrick, an ex-con down on his luck barely scraping by in a minimum wage job. Patrick is sucked back into the criminal life by the unstable and unpredictable Dolph. The two of them hatch a scheme to seduce, kidnap, and hold trophy wives for ransom. But Patrick has a change of heart.
“Patrick is sucked back into the criminal life by the unstable and unpredictable Dolph…”
Writer/Director/Producer Marcus Mizelle has a fantastic eye and crafts beautiful scenes. Unfortunately, in Chameleon, his writing doesn’t live up to his directing. The characters are broad outlines or tired stereotypes. The kidnapping plan has so many holes in it you’d think it was a colander. What is shocking is that they get away with it so many times. The number of trophy wives they victimize is impressive but also a bit shocking. At some point, it’s not really explained how they all realize they had the same experience and go to the police.
But, again, his direction is much better than his writing. The story is told in a non-linear fashion, and yet even with the bouncing back and forth in time, you never feel lost. You’re able to follow the thread of the story perfectly. But, his skillful direction in Chameleon isn’t enough to save you from clichés like the “just one more job” trope.
"…Mizelle has a fantastic eye and crafts beautiful scenes…"
