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Rent this movie: The 24th Day

By Martin Magee

The 24th Day (2004)

Director: Tony Piccirillo
Writer: Tony Piccirillo (play)

James Marsden and Scott Speedman are the lead actors in this psychological thriller. James Marsden is familiar as the character Cyclops from the three X-Men films. Scott Speedman, who is due to open the movie “Adoration” directed by Atom Etoygan is the surprise here as the soft-spoken kidnapper keeping James in his apartment while awaiting the results of an HIV test.

Sometimes it seems as if there are three eras related to the two-decades long AIDS Crisis; the beginning when the disease mysteriously killed thousands of gay men throughout the world and was then forever if unfairly associated with gay men. Then, perhaps a time when there was more knowledge of the crisis that was automatically thought to be a death sentence, followed by the pharmaceutical discoveries which led to prolonged life. This last period has, for some AIDS activists, the blessing and the curse. The new medicines have allowed people to live longer despite their debilitating side effects. Some have said that this has made the urgency to find a cure less important, and by extension, has led people to engage again in risky behavior.

Tom, played by Speedman, meets Dan (Marsden) in a bar and takes him home. While getting there and becoming settled, Dan realizes that he’s been inside Tom’s apartment before. Their conversation starts to become more and more tense until Tom reveals that they had a one night stand five years before. Dan decides to make a bolt for the door, Tom tackles him and ties him to a chair, then withdraws some of his blood to take for testing.

Tom’s character seems to be deranged, a vengeful ex-lover playing out some strange psychological drama in his own head. As we get to know Tom more through his talking with Dan, we find out his tragic secret at the center of the drama, the guilt that motivates him to keep Dan hostage. Tom seems to be withdrawn and a loner, but he is played against Dan’’s talkativeness. Dan tries to win over his freedom by getting Tom to open up, and in doing so, finds out his own culpability in the situation.

“The 24th Day” would seem to be a thriller, but the cat-and-mouse game played by each person takes on a different level the more we find out about the characters. Tom would appear to be a violent hostage-taker, deranged and dangerous, but what leads him to his actions becomes more understandable if not completely reconcilable to his gentle nature. Dan, for all of his slick playboy attitude, uses it to disguise the insecurity he feels, which he also makes up for with anonymous encounters. Their opposite nature, and what led them to each other, is at the heart of the story, which is really about personal responsibility and the consequences of ones actions on not just themselves, but others.

The movie gives away its roots as a play when it breaks from the “box” and shows flashbacks to Tom’s life as a chef and the tragedy which led him to his decisions. The play originally opened in Los Angeles, with Noah Wyle from the television show “ER” and Peter Berg, another noted actor and director. It feels like a filmed performance of live theater, as much because of the immediate emotions and action as the simple construct of a one-room enactment.

“The 24th Day” is worth renting to see these two fine actors create their characters in this film, but it is a thought-provoking movie that will stay with you, and might generate some discussions. It is playing in rotation on LOGO Network, although edited. I suggest renting it from Netflix for the unedited version. Click on the clip below for a preview: