Themes: Haunted By the Past, Amateur Sleuths, Murder Investigations
Main Cast: Samuel L. Jackson, Colm Feore, Ann Magnuson, Aunjanue Ellis, Rodney Eastman
Release Year: 2001
Country: US
Run Time: 105 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
A man struggles back from madness to avenge the death of someone he knew in an intelligent thriller based on the acclaimed novel by George Dawes Green. Romulus Ledbetter (Samuel L. Jackson) once had a career as an acclaimed concert pianist, a position at the Juilliard School of Music, and a loving wife and children. But Ledbetter's life has been devastated by paranoid schizophrenia; now homeless, Ledbetter wanders the streets of New York City as he rails against Cornelius Gould Stuyvesant, a man whom he believes controls all the evil in the world while following his movements from a perch atop the Chrysler Building. Most nights, Ledbetter takes shelter in a cave in Central Park, earning him the nickname "the Caveman." One morning, Ledbetter discovers a frozen corpse caught in the branches of a tree near his cave; the body is that of Scotty (Sean MacMahaon), a homeless drug addict who was close friends with his pal Matthew (Rodney Eastman). Ledbetter is determined to get justice for Scotty, and he's also eager to prove himself to his daughter Lulu (Aunjanue Ellis), now a New York City police officer. While Ledbetter is at first convinced that his nemesis Stuyvesant is responsible for Scotty's death, in time he focuses on another suspect: David Leppenraub (Colm Feore), a famous photographer known for his controversial erotic images of young men, who occasionally hired Scotty as a model. As Ledbetter attempts to investigate Leppenraub's possible role in the murder, he soon gains an unexpected ally -- Moira (Ann Magnuson), a noted sculptor and Leppenraub's sister. The Caveman's Valentine marked the major-studio debut for director Kasi Lemmons, who made an impressive debut in 1997 with the independent drama Eve's Bayou. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Review
Kasi Lemmons' follow-up to her critical darling Eve's Bayou is a redemption tale of a musician turned homeless cave dweller turned amateur detective, and it proceeds with the same kind of ranting logic espoused by Samuel L. Jackson's title character. That is to say, not very clearly, and with paranoid concerns, that not everyone will care about or understand. It's a visually ambitious film, as Jackson's wonderfully named Romulus Ledbetter sees bursts of light from building tops (and winged demons in his head, courtesy of schizophrenia), which he blames on an imagined omnipresent villain named Stuyvesant. But these touches and an engaging performance from Jackson, framed memorably by dreadlocks that hang down the length of his back, are not enough to elevate the film into the mystical realm Lemmons created in Eve's Bayou. Underneath is a relatively standard whodunnit with uninteresting payoffs and obvious psychological motivators. The side story of Ledbetter trying to reconcile with his exasperated daughter doesn't interest much, either. What comment Lemmons and screenwriter George D. Green may have about real-world photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, on whom Colm Feore's shady artist David Leppenraub seems to be based, remains as murky as anything else. The Caveman's Valentine is a good example of a talented sophomore director unable to find material equal to that of her debut, leading her to misapply interesting storytelling techniques to a story that's beneath them. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide
Tracee Stanley - Associate Producer, Michael Bennett - Co-producer, James Holt - Co-producer, Pamela Abdy - Co-producer, Denise Cronenberg - Costume Designer, Andrew Shea - First Assistant Director, Kasi Lemmons - Director, Terilyn A. Shropshire - Editor, Samuel L. Jackson - Executive Producer, Nicolas Clermont - Executive Producer, Jonathan Weisgal - Executive Producer, Stephanie Davis - Executive Producer, Eli Selden - Executive Producer, Terence Blanchard - Composer (Music Score), Robin Standefer - Production Designer, Amy Vincent - Cinematographer, Danny DeVito - Producer, Michael Shamberg - Producer, Stacey Sher - Producer, Andrew Stevens - Producer, Elie Samaha - Producer, Michael Madden - Set Designer, Glen Gauthier - Sound/Sound Designer, Roy Anderson - Stunts, George D. Green - Screenwriter, Jay Nierenberg - Supervising Sound Editor, George D. Green - Book Author
The Caveman's Valentine aka Sign of the Killer (UK video title) is a 2001mystery-drama starring Samuel L. Jackson based on the novel by George Dawes Green. The film was released by Universal Focus.
A former family man and pianist studying at Juilliard music school, Romulus Ledbetter (Samuel L. Jackson) is now suffering from paranoid schizophrenia and living in a cave in Inwood Park, New York. He believes that a man named Cornelius Gould Stuyvesant is controlling the world with rays from the top of the Chrysler Building, and that his mind is inhabited by moth-like angels. On Valentine’s Day he discovers the frozen body of a young man, Scotty Gates (Sean MacMahon), left in a tree outside his cave. The police, including Romulus's daughter Lulu (Aunjanue Ellis), dismiss the man's death as accident however, a homeless ex-lover of Scotty tells Romulus that he was murdered by the famous photographer David Leppenraub (Colm Feore). Determined to discover the truth behind Scotty’s death and prove his worth to his daughter, Romulus manages to get an invitation through a former friend to perform one of his compositions at Leppenraub’s farm. What unfolds thereafter is a twisted tale of mystery, deception and a man's struggle against his own mind.
Response
Box office
Domestic summary:
Opening Weekend: $112,041 (16 theaters)
% of total gross: 16.3%
Close date: June 14, 2001
Total U.S. gross: $687,194
Worldwide gross: $687,194
Critical Reaction
The Caveman's Valentine received a 43% rating among the consensus of critics tracked by Rotten Tomatoes, with a general consensus that the film "has an intriguing premise, but... falls flat under the weight of its ambition."
