Plot
A police detective is on the trail of a psychopath while dealing with demons of her own in the crime thriller Oxygen. Madeline Foster (Maura Tierney) is a plainclothes detective with the NYPD who isn't especially happy with her job. She drowns her sorrows in alcohol and masochistic sex, though even her husband (Terry Kinney) is unaware of the full extent of her erotic obsessions. Madeline finds herself assigned to investigate an unusual kidnapping; Frances (Laila Robins), the wife of a prosperous businessman (James Naughton), has been kidnapped and buried alive. The perpetrators demand the ransom be paid within 24 hours, or the air will run out and Frances will be dead. Madeline surmises that the kidnapper is a career criminal known to the NYPD as "Harry Houdini" (Adrien Brody) for his remarkable ability to escape capture. It soon becomes clear that "Harry" knows who Madeline is, and for him this isn't an ordinary kidnapping but an elaborate psychological game; he is convinced they are alike in more ways than they're different, which makes it all the more fascinating for him. Oxygen received screenings at several 1999 film festivals, including Taos, Gen-Art and Cannes (market); it was later purchased by premium cable network HBO, who showed the film before it went into a limited theatrical run. ~ Mark Deming, RoviReview
This servicable thriller makes the most of protagonist Maura Tierney's haunted eyes and perpetually harassed countenance, villain Adrien Brody's believable psychopath antics, victim Laila Robins' scream-queen vulnerability, and producer/screenwriter/director Richard Shepard's moody little script. The film's low budget proves both a blessing and a curse. It puts maximum focus on the characters, dialogue, and no-frills noir atmosphere, but it leaves the film without the kind of production values that might have elevated it from cable-TV fare. Terry Kinney doesn't have much to do as the put-upon husband of Tierney's tortured, kinky cop character, especially in the forced epilogue the two must play together. But there's plenty of chemistry between the other principals and lots of real twists in Shepard's sturdy plotting. Fans of her TV roles on NewsRadio and ER may not get what they're expecting from Tierney (here re-teaming with the director who provided her first big break), but surprise is the name of the game in this modest winner. ~ Brian J. Dillard, RoviCast
- Maura Tierney - Madeline
- Adrien Brody - Harry
- Terry Kinney - Tim
- James Naughton - Hannon
- Laila Robins - Frances
Credit
Betsy McDonald - Art Director, George Conda - Associate Producer, Laura Rosenthal - Casting, Ali Farrell - Casting, Jennifer L. Pearlman - Co-producer, Raelle Koota - Co-producer, Barbara Pressar - Costume Designer, Vince Maggio - First Assistant Director, Richard Shepard - Director, Adam Lichtenstein - Editor, Karen J. Lauder - Executive Producer, Marcus Ticotin - Executive Producer, William Lauder - Executive Producer, Andrew Farkas - Executive Producer, Rolfe Kent - Composer (Music Score), Rowena Rowling - Production Designer, Sarah Crawley - Cinematographer, Richard Shepard - Producer, Carole Curb Nemoy - Producer, Jonathan Stern - Producer, Mike Curb - Producer, David Patterson - Sound/Sound Designer, Chuck Jeffreys - Stunts, Richard Shepard - Screenwriter| Oxhide II (2009 Film), Oxford Children's Encyclopedia of Science, Vol. 3 (1999 Film) | |
| Oxygen (2009 Film), Oy Vey! My Son Is Gay! (2009 Film) |
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