THE 24TH DAY

Director: Tony Piccirillo

Stars: James Marsden, Scott Speedman, Sofia Verga

Year: 2004

Rating: R

A tense psychological game played out by its two lead actors, The 24th Day (based on director Tony Piccirillo's play of the same name) stars James Marsden and Scott Speedman as two men who find themselves attracted to each other when they meet in a bar. Dan (Marsden) is there with his best gal pal Isabella (Sofia Verga), but after staring into the handsome, boyish face and green eyes of Tom (Speedman), he can't help but get Tom's assistance in seeing a drunken Isabella back home ... before himself going back to Tom's apartment for a little conversation and fun.

Once there, the verbal games begin as Tom comes off as a very nervous straight man who's never been with a guy before; he asks a ton of questions, and ponders big issues like truth and moral values. Dan's not so comfortable with all the questions about how many guys he's been with, if he's ever been tested for HIV, etc., and all the conversation is definitely killing both his buzz and his horny aspirations ... when he suddenly learns that he and Tom have met before. In a calm, rational voice, Tom informs Dan that the two of them had sex together five years previously - when a drunken Dan came home with Tom, much like he did tonight. After pretending to remember, Dan finally confesses that he can't remember that night at all - though he swears to Tom, 100%, that he did wear a condom that night ... as he does every single time he has sex, even though Tom questions Dan's sincerity because of how drunk Dan was when they were together five years ago.

A frustrated, nearly-angry Dan throws up his hands and apologizes, heading for the door to Tom's apartment - which is locked, and when Tom gives Dan the key it proves unsuccessful. Really ticked now, Dan starts to ask what game Tom is playing - when suddenly Tom jabs him with a vicious punch to the head, knocking Dan nearly unconscious. In his half-in, half-out of it state, Dan is then settled into a chair, where his wrists are tied behind his back, his legs tied to the legs of the chair as Tom produces a syringe and draws some blood from Dan's arm ...

Before Tom tells him that he - Tom - has been diagnosed with HIV ... and that with Dan being the only man he's been with, it's therefore Dan who gave it to him. To prove it, Tom's come up with a simple plan: he'll hold Dan hostage in his apartment, take a blood sample from him and get it tested. If the sample come backs negative, Tom will let Dan go.

If positive, he'll kill him.

The rest of the film is basically the cat and mouse game of Dan and Tom spending the next day - the 24th day since Tom's learned of his disease - together, before Tom picks up the results the following morning and determines Dan's fate. In that time, both men will learn a lot not only about themselves but each other ... as well as what it means to be truly responsible, not only regarding your sex life but in all aspects of life.

From trying to break free to trying to talk Tom out of murder - should he be negative - Dan is a character you're never quite sure you can trust. Is he an expert liar saying whatever he thinks someone will want to hear to save himself - or sleep with someone else - or is he an honest, upfront guy who can be believed about his past? Tom has his own issues, even beyond his testing positive for HIV, and viewers of the film will be equally unsure as to where his mind is at, at all times ... or what he might ultimately do. It's a well-written, powerful struggle these two have throughout the film, highlighted by a strong performance by Scott Speedman as Tom and some of James Marsden's best work as Dan. You WILL be kept wondering, tense and unsure, until the end.

And yet, the film didn't totally work for me. Sure, it feels a bit like a filmed play - with the vast majority of the action taking place between the two main characters, in Tom's apartment - but even that didn't bother me as much as some of the dialogue and nuances of the performances (Speedman in particular, who sometimes just wasn't so convincing for me as Tom). Marsden has speeches about HIV and sexual responsibility and the fact that the lines between "gay" and "straight" for a lot of men are so blurred in society now ... and while he delivers said speeches well, there were a couple of times they came off as just that - speeches - that ran too long, or were trying to drive a point home too stiffly. Speedman is able to keep up with Marsden as an actor, yet at the same time I wanted to feel more sympathy for Tom's situation than I did. The direction is good - the situation builds in tension and stress as it should, with viewers always kept wondering just what the heck is going to happen ...

But in the end, strong as the film is, for some reason it didn't click with me like it should have. Worth seeing - and if you're a sexually promiscuous person, it will have you thinking twice about what you might be doing not only to the person you're bedding ... but how that incident might chain reaction to affect others, as well. A good film to see - I just wish something didn't feel ... "missing" to me, after viewing it. **1/2 - Reel Mediocre-Reel Cool