http://www.criticsrant.com/archive/2007/10/27/Retro-Rant-OF-UNKNOWN-ORIGIN.aspx Living and working in the Big Apple can be tough on a guy, but some people thrive on the pressure. Bart Hughes (Peter Weller) is one of those hardy breed. He’s got his life well in hand: a beautiful and loving wife (Shannon Tweed), an adorable son (Leif Anderson), a freshly renovated brownstone and a great high-paying job. Bart has just been handed an assignment that will lead to an executive position, and since his family is on vacation, he’ll have the time to do a massive project that will clinch the job for him. Of course, there’s just one small problem. There always is. Thus begins OF UNKNOWN ORIGIN, a little-known gem from 1983 that plays the nerves like a madman on the keys. Nothing frightens like the monster in your head, and the scary films that work, like this one, were made by folks that understand this basic truth. Things start slowly: we see a family comfortable in their space, a man respected at his job, the American Dream in full color. But, the promotion Bart’s up for depends on him pulling off a difficult project in a field that’s new to him in very little time, and he feels like he’s being set up to fail. Occasionally, Bart hears scratching noises or odd little thumps in his home. Usually it comes to nothing, but one night, Bart finds his kitchen floor covered with water. An emergency call to local plumber Clete (Louis Del Grande) reveals a leaky drain hose is the problem. Clete asks if he has a rat, and Bart scoffs, although any place in New York that is missing rats or roaches is probably not a good place to live. Bart says there’s no rat in the house. But, as it turns out, there is. And not just any rat, either. Without his family around, and with the stress of the project weighing on him, Bart’s research into rats and his desire to rid his house of the little bastard morphs into obsession. The rat chews up family pictures, Bart lays out bear traps. Bart throws down poison everywhere, the rat eats his pillows. The rat snarls at him from the toilet bowl in the middle of the night, Bart starts yelling at the ceiling. Soon, Bart’s talking to his gloves while rat-contaminated food rains out of his ruined pantry, while unblinking eyes watch Bart from hiding. en-US Critics Rant info@criticsrant.com Subtext Version 1.9.4.0 http://www.criticsrant.com/images/default_gravatar_bullhorn.png http://www.criticsrant.com/archive/2007/10/27/Retro-Rant-OF-UNKNOWN-ORIGIN.aspx 77 60 http://www.criticsrant.com/archive/2007/10/27/Retro-Rant-OF-UNKNOWN-ORIGIN.aspx#1913 havnt seen it yet but now i wanna brokun1 http://www.criticsrant.com/archive/2007/10/27/Retro-Rant-OF-UNKNOWN-ORIGIN.aspx#1913 Sun, 28 Oct 2007 12:19:06 GMT