The Singing Detective

Dan Dark (Downey) is a pulp crime novelist who suffers from a painful debilitating disease that leaves him confined to a hospital bed. As Dark drifts in and out of reality, his imagination fuses episodes from his novels with memories of his childhood. In his fantasies, Dark imagines himself as a detective of a '50s film noir. Real personas in his life begin to play characters in his fantasy and his delusions begin to bleed into his real life. Adding to the surreality is the slew of '50s pop songs that the characters sing at the slightest provocation. Visually stunning, and a bit convoluted. Downey delivers a solid performance, as do the supporting cast, including an almost unrecognizable Mel Gibson. Based on the BBC mini-series of the same name.