John Lithgow and Geoffrey Rush deliver us a mighty duel, as well as a masterclass in character acting in James Ashcroft’s The Rule of Jenny Pen. Adapted from a short story by Owen Marshall, Rush plays Stefan Mortensen, a local magistrate forced into palliative care following a severe stroke that has mostly paralyzed one side of his body. However, the retirement villa he finds himself able to afford has all the ambiance of the Overlook Hotel. A fastidious and independent, learned man of letters aside from the law, Mortensen struggles with the purgatorial confinement and the monotony of the ward and grounds. Constantly, he keeps his beleaguered spirits bright by reassuring both us, the viewer and himself, that his stay in his newly discovered hell is only temporary.
But long the stay, everyone on the ward is both foil and prey to the delectably devilish Lithgow as Dave Crealy, which seems to be a delightfully demonic amalgamation of his villainous characters from Russell Mulcahy’s Ricochet and The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension. Crealy has been McMurphy-ing his way around this cuckoo’s nest for decades now. He is the alpha and widely feared. He and his soulless, eyeless sidekick, a hand-puppet named Jenny Pen.
“…Mortensen struggles with the purgatorial confinement and the monotony of the ward and grounds.”
“Who rules?” he taunts his victims with Jenny Pen atop his hand as he skulks ominously throughout the wards at night, going easily from room to room, having stolen the access keys from the staff. “Jenny Pen,” they must answer, aside from licking the puppet’s posterior, in order to avoid conflict and show allegiance. But Mortensen will not be intimidated, soon studying and provoking Crealy following their first bout, which sees Lithgow cover Rush with a bottle of his own emissions. This kicks off a terrifying war in this satisfyingly sinister and shockingly comedic blitzing of dark humor and palpable dread. Ashcroft captures this spine-tingling battle of wits and wills to the death. The crippled former judge versus the elderly psychopath. Still, what is also unexpected is the director’s sad yet sympathetic look at what a tragedy the slow death of the disregarded and forgotten can be as one’s twilight years are upon them.
Everything about this Bubba Ho-Tep meets The Shining retirement home thriller is first class, from the entire cast to the cinematography, which makes you feel the terrifying sterility of the setting. Ashcroft shares writing credit once more with Eli Kent in an impeccably smart and subversive script, which leads devour to bring forth moments playfully eccentric and electrifying. I don’t know what they’re putting in the water over there in New Zealand, but the caliber and quality of the filmmakers emerging is exciting, so much so that I eagerly expect this team to come to the big screen next. Stephen King, I believe, called this one of the best films he’d seen, and I’m with him. It is one of the best, most completely brilliant films I’ve seen in a while. “Who rules?” The Rule of Jenny Pen, from start to finish.
"…satisfyingly sinister and shockingly comedic blitzing of dark humor and palpable dread."
