September 2002 Crazy as Hell :

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Reviewed by Chika Chukudebelu Crazy as Hell Distributor: Artistic License Films Director: Eriq La Salle Screenwriter: Eriq La Salle & Erik Jendressen Producers: Ken Aguado & D.J Caruso Running Time: 113 min Cast: Eriq La Salle, Michael Beach, Ronny Cox, John C. McGinley, Tia Texada, & Sinbad In his first project since leaving ER, Eriq La Salle attempts to expand our views on what constitutes a “Black film.” Written in the vain of such psychological thrillers as The Talented Mr. Ripley and The Twilight Zone, Crazy as Hell will have your mind racing in a million different directions and still manage to surprise you at the end. Crazy as Hell stars Michael Beach as Dr. Ty Adams, the overconfident psychiatrist brought in to make use of his non-traditional approach at the Sedah State Mental Hospital while being followed 24/7 by a film crew. As he introduces himself to each of his patients, Dr. Adams is convinced that despite his track record of two patient suicides in one month, his non-medicinal approach is just what Sedah needs for even its most self-destructive patients…that is until the day that a man claiming to be Satan voluntarily checks himself into the hospital and all hell breaks loose. Satan, played by Eriq La Salle, appears to be the only one who manages to rattle Dr. Adams’ chain. Dressed in over-the-edge costumes, Satan sets out to challenge his methods of practice and subsequently forces him to deal with the inner turmoil plaguing him regarding the death of his wife and daughter. Dr. Adams receives several words of caution from hospital head Dr. Delazo, played by Ronny Cox, but they all go unheeded. There’s even an undertaker, played by Sinbad, that repeatedly asks for a moment of the doctor’s time that goes ignored. When Dr. Adams is strictly instructed to put a particular patient back on her medication, he verbally agrees. However he switches her meds to placebos convinced that with a little more time, he would definitely prove his non-medicinal method most effective despite all evidence to the contrary. In a milieu where the endings of most films are known well before they’ve started, Crazy as Hell offers moviegoers something different and exceptional. The talented performances given by Beach, La Salle and Tia Texada create a mind-blowing experience that is sure to be well-received by thrill seekers everywhere.