Crazy As Hell (2002)

50% of critics liked it
(14 reviews)
55% of users liked it
(1,006 ratings)

A psychiatrist confronts a new client whose problems may not be all in his head in this drama. Dr. Ty Adams (Michael Beach) is a well-known psychiatrist who has earned no small amount of controversy for his blunt and "anti-medicinal" approach to treatment. Adams is also dealing with some emotional… More A psychiatrist confronts a new client whose problems may not be all in his head in this drama. Dr. Ty Adams (Michael Beach) is a well-known psychiatrist who has earned no small amount of controversy for his blunt and "anti-medicinal" approach to treatment. Adams is also dealing with some emotional problems of his own after the death of his wife and child. Parker (John C. McGinley), a documentary filmmaker, has arrived at the hospital where Adams works to make a movie about his work, just in time for Adams to start working with a new patient -- a mysterious and angry fellow known only as "The Man" -- who insists he is Satan (Eriq LaSalle). The new patient is not easily convinced that he's delusional, and as he becomes a greater disruptive force, Adams can't help but wonder if maybe the stranger is telling the truth. Crazy as Hell was directed by actor Eriq LaSalle, who plays the new patient and is best known for his work on the television series E.R.; it was his first theatrical feature, after helming the made-for-cable Rebound. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 53 min.
Directed By: Eriq La Salle
Written By: Jeremy Leven, Erik Jendresen
Genres: Drama, Horror, Mystery & Suspense

In Theaters: Sep 27, 2002 Wide
On DVD: Feb 25, 2003
Studio: Artistic License

Critic Reviews

Jan Stuart, Newsday
This dramatically shaky contest of wills only reiterates the old Hollywood saw: Evil is interesting and good is boring.
Megan Turner, New York Post
A morality tale whose thought-provoking potential is hampered by a made-for-TV look, rigid performances and an asinine 'twist' that brazenly rips off The Sixth Sense.
Dave Kehr, New York Times
The film is a verbal duel between two gifted performers.
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
Despite its flaws, Crazy as Hell marks an encouraging new direction for La Salle.
Mark Holcomb, Village Voice
An allegory concerning the chronically mixed signals African American professionals get about overachieving could be intriguing, but the supernatural trappings only obscure the message.
Donald J. Levit, ReelTalk Movie Reviews
'Crazy as Hell' leaves viewers with something to think about after the screen goes dead and the house-lights come on.
Marshall Fine, Journal News (Westchester, NY)
A great ending doesn't make up for a weak movie, and Crazy as Hell doesn't even have a great ending.
Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Daily News
A fairly engaging, if overly simplistic, comic thriller.
Dan Marchesani, Boxoffice Magazine
A bit too derivative to stand on its own as the psychological thriller it purports to be.
Steve Simels, TV Guide's Movie Guide
A psychological thriller that doesn't really hold up if you think about it too much, but is nonetheless highly entertaining in a low-budget, David Lynch-ian way.
Luke Y. Thompson, New Times
Utilizing lots of complicated, well-choreographed steadicam shots, La Salle directs with confidence -- this may yet be his true calling.
Ernest Hardy, L.A. Weekly
So much about the film is loopy and ludicrous ... that it could have been a hoot in a bad-movie way if the laborious pacing and endless exposition had been tightened.
Harvey S. Karten, Compuserve
Perhaps no picture ever made has more literally showed that the road to hell is paved with good intentions.