Ever wonder just what the Seven Society really does - I mean, besides provide a welcome distraction from boring convocation speeches? In his latest film, "The Skulls," Rob Cohen weighs in with his opinion, and, well, let's just say he won't be the next recipient of $7,777.77 - but he may get a gourd.
Luke McNamara (Joshua Jackson) has grown up in the slums of an Ivy-league college town, but through typical poor-boy perseverance now attends the prestigious school. In his senior year, Luke's role as the crew team's secret weapon attracts the attention of the Skulls, a powerful and elite secret society whose membership ensures a lifetime of financial security and protection. For Luke, who faces years of debt thanks to his student loans, the Skulls' offer is impossible to resist. But as Luke learns, once you've sold your soul to the Skulls, there's no turning back.
Jackson is best known as the offbeat and disarmingly charming Pacey on "Dawson's Creek." He extends his underdog acting abilities here, enriching scenes as an appealing protagonist in his lighthearted moments.
Caleb (Paul Walker), as Luke's "soulmate," the society's name for the brother with whom a man is linked during initiation, acts as a foil. His privileged arrogance hides a fragility that ultimately is supported by Luke's strength. Walker maintains focus and cohesion in the role, deftly showing us Caleb's emotional layers.
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At the same time, this knowledge also disappoints. Although Cohen provides an adrenaline-pumping ride, he sacrifices in-depth moral analysis for one more car chase. Luke's realization that the Skulls are morally corrupt results from a contrived personal tragedy - less satisfying than if his dissension was based solely on self-examination and fundamental ethics. The film has a lot of good things to say about power, money and elitism, but much is left unsaid in the midst of requisite action sequences.
But this action film is clearly more intelligent than most; an effective touch is its masculine fraternity structure. There is a distinct strain of homoeroticism in the rituals and code of the Skulls - the use of the word "soulmate" is a particularly vivid example.
In light of the masculinity of the society, Luke's friend Chloe (Leslie Bibb) has an interesting role. While Cohen tries to develop this role beyond the typical love interest, she falls short of pushing the boundaries. Chloe has less dimension than the male characters, and her eventual romantic connection to Luke makes her less challenging to the male dynamic and more interested in keeping a boyfriend. That said, Luke and Chloe's courtship is written and acted with warmth, and their love scene is actually one of the film's best. In both form and content, it is innovative and subtly sexy.
"The Skulls," thanks to a clever script and clean acting, is an above-average action film. But with more probing and less vicarious thrill, it could have been a first-rate drama.
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