The Kovak Box

SINOPSIS

The melancholy tones of Billie Holiday's Gloomy Sunday are the trigger for a suspicious spate of suicides in this intriguing though ultimately underdeveloped mystery thriller. A restrained Timothy Hutton plays the uninspired sci-fi writer who finds real life imitating his first novel, after his fiancée unexpectedly adds to the death toll in a Mallorcan resort. Initially, slick production values and some smart plot details keep this concept-heavy feature tripping along, while an enjoyable splash of Hitchcock-style suspense helps distract from the often unconvincing dialogue. But it's David Kelly's gleeful malevolence as the apparent mastermind of events that makes the movie and compensates for a sadly underwhelming climax.