Always targeted as potential folly, Cronenberg's attempt to film
William Burroughs' "unfilmable" novel is only partly a
failure. Taking Burroughs' biography and weaving it into the
narrative allows a more coherent plot, but one which detracts from the
hallucinogenic brilliance of the novel. The main problem, however, is
simply that the film is un-involving and not nearly as fascinating as
Cronenberg's previous work. The best moments expound his own
preoccupations; the worst muddle up the same with Burroughs' own
flights of fantasy. Not bad, but not what it promised to be.
