THE TIGER’S TAIL

(director: John Boorman; cinematographer: Seamus Deasy; editor: Ron Davis; music: Stephen McKeon; cast: Brendan Gleeson (Liam O’Leary/double), Kim Cattrall (Jane), Sinéad Cusack (Oona), Ciarán Hinds (Father Andy), Sean McGinley (Declan Murray), Cathy Belton (Sally); Runtime: 107; MPAA Rating: NR; producers: John Boorman/John Buchanan/Kieran Corrigan; Irish Film Board; 2006-UK/Ireland)

“The fanciful tale is too absurd to take seriously.”

Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz

John Boorman (“The General”/”The Tailor of Panama”/”The Emerald Forest”) is writer-director of this Irish fable that revisits Mark Twain’s The Prince and the Pauper and makes it tedious and forgettable as a modern-day tale about stolen identity.

Set in Dublin, where the successful cutthroat businessman Liam O’Leary (Brendan Gleeson) sees a homeless man panhandling on a busy street who shockingly looks like his double. The double impersonates Liam and has the cheek to take his place of privilege. He even romances his trophy wife Jane (Kim Cattrall). When questioned by the police, the doppelgänger gets them to believe that Liam is the double. It leads to Liam’s arrest and being sent to a mental institution.

The fanciful tale is too absurd to take seriously. It only manages to save face by Brendan Gleeson’s likable performance.

REVIEWED ON 1/2/2015 GRADE: C+