KingM21 Review of Pale Blue Balloons

Pale Blue Balloons (2008)

"A powerful picture...from the first frame to the last."

[9/10 · 31 May 2008]

Odd title, new Wild Dogs logo, not a bad start. As I ventured further into this most recent production from talented director/actor Michael Fredianelli, I checked the length and was rather taken aback at the considerable running time of about 150 minutes. Fortunately, for the most part, the picture was able to fill that time more than well enough to sustain interest. The story, by up and coming screenwriter Todd Jurgess, revolves around Dave, a so-far-under-the-cover cop that his own people have trouble keeping tabs on him. Dave is also a degenerate, homicidal, heroin addict who doubles as a hit-man for the very people he is supposed to be infiltrating and really, this makes up his preferred profession, as well as the crux of the storyline. All of his activities related to that profession (cold assassinations, freeing whores of their painful life, continually seeking out that next shot of smack, etc…) certainly make for an entertaining, albeit dark, journey and even though the story arc never curves too much (at least up until Dave gets re-involved with his ex-partner's girl), I can honestly say I was never bored with the proceedings. I did find the girl's desire to resume the relationship slightly jarring though, and the brave pairing of the unwholesomely romantic drug montage and that famous tune from Midnight Cowboy was just weird. I appreciated the gorno-like torture sequence, an unexpected but welcome twist, and thought reliable character actor Michael Nosé filled the menacing role nicely. The final climax is perhaps a little too heavily influenced by Scarface, even down to the soundtrack, but ultimately feels like an appropriate ending, not to mention the fact that bullet-riddled deaths are almost always highly pleasing. The production values and professionalism on display in Pale Blue Balloons has come a long way since the days of Once Upon a Time in San Jose and definitely could and should hold its own on the indie circuit. The acting was almost uniformly topnotch (the outtakes were a testament of all the effort put into getting these performances) and I believe this was the most diverse ensemble of any Wild Dogs production I've ever seen. If pushed for complaints, I think Pale Blue Balloons could've benefited from a little tightening in the plot and some trimming for length but as it is, it's a powerful picture that remains true to its nihilistic themes from the first frame to the last. Good job, to everyone involved.