Eyes of the past A small campus is shrouded in a bloody veil of terrible crimes, the victims of which are participants in a mysterious game of intelligence. The investigation of this case reveals similar examples in the past and closes around the identity of the former detective Vincent Swan (Dennis Hopper), at one time engaged in the search for the killer at the hands of whom his daughter died. A nightmare that has been experienced, but not forgotten, overtakes him again, but his professional instinct and personal motives force him to look at a number of issues through the eyes of the past and become more cool in his actions. It doesn’t just depend on him anymore.
Director David Worth in the famous sports tapes showed a spectacular combination of action and the psychological component of his stories. His experience turned out to be indispensable for detective stories, which in the United States are invented most in the world and in a variety of categories, including low-budget cinema. Despite this, Worth largely managed to find the line between the thriller, melodrama and puzzle, and at the same time give the Central characters enough to reveal themselves to the audience.
Initially, Dennis Hopper, who won in his role, was pleasantly surprised not so much by the usual manner of playing, but rather by the compact and organic placement of his hero in the plane of the picture, successfully complemented by less well-known persons. Through the efforts, first of all, of the screenwriters, the film does not lose the initially high note of the narrative and even in the most climactic places retains the uniformity of the action, which is a great plus for the general perception of the “mysterious” film.
The Prophet of Death, of course, does not lack the characteristic American component in some scenes, such as the caricature of household plans or the presence of such typical ways of relaxation as a shoulder massage. Although these techniques in the depiction of trifles are almost invisible, their presence somewhat weakens the tightly strained thread of the plot and reminds us that we are just an American film, albeit of very good quality.
