Eriq La Salle's directorial debut is a mish mash of a psychological thriller that has too much to say and not nearly enough time to spit it all out. With psychological thrillers like these being a dime a dozen, any new entry in the field has just got to have something to distinguish itself from the rest of the pack. Fortunately, Crazy as Hell has some of these elements... unfortunately though the film seems to be confused as to what it needs to do with these elements and how to use them effectively. In other words, this flick is crazy as hell! (sorry!)

Michael Beach stars as Dr. Ty Adams "shrink in demand" who's latest assignment is to be videotaped for a new documentary as he treats a group of patients at Sedah State Hospital headed by Dr. Sam Delazo (Ronny Cox). Dr. Delazo isn't too thrilled with Dr. Adams and his unorthodox techniques from the get go and it's up to Dr. Adams to prove that his "crazy" ways do indeed work. Wayne Parker (John C. McGinley) is the documentarian following Adamas around and watching his every move, except of course during his morning shower jerk and most intimate of dumps (I don't make this stuff up folks). The film also stars Eriq La Salle himself as a patient who believes he's Satan(?) and Sinbad as the often-ignored orderly who seems to have something really important to tell, yet nobody seems to have time to listen.

Crazy as Hell gives new meaning to the words, mixed bag. With a cool cast of character actors (Cox and McGinley) and a bin of some of the craziest loonies you have ever seen committed (to film) it certainly sounds like a recipe for success. Unfortunately the film spends too much of its time jumping from dilemma to dilemma without ever focusing long enough for us to even have a chance of caring. Are we concerned with Cheryl, the schizophrenic that Dr. Adams is trying to reach out to? Maybe we should focus on the fact that Dr. Adams is constantly seeing visions of his wife and child, despite the fact that they're (shudder) dead? What about the film crew taping the documentary or the mysterious patient who claims himself to be Satan? How about the orderly that's constantly being brushed off (he seems to have some vital info)? With so many directions to turn, the films focus is ultimately lost.

This isn't to say that Crazy as Hell doesn't have anything going for it. It's worth noting that the film contains some superb performances (LaSalle included) as well as a neatly focused directing style that's extremely fresh. Unfortunately, things get lost in the muddled script and the films awkward execution. Also worth noting are a few scenes and set ups that truly deserve our attention including our first introduction to the patients at the hospital (note the ultra cool long shot). This scene is certainly worth its weight in gold in that it looks more like a whacked out freak show performance than a mental hospital ward. Kudos also goes out to the choice of music during this particular scene that was so odd and bizarre, words cannot truly do its actual experience any justice. Unfortunately by the end it's all just a little too much a little too late and the obvious influences with another fairly recent thriller are almost too tough to bear (boy will you know it when you see it).

This entire traumatic experience aside, it's worth noting that Crazy as Hell looks simply superb on this DVD. It looks as if the film was shot digitally (also does give it a bit of that Made for TV look) as this DVD sports a crystal clear image with no grain or print damage. Colors are extremely sharp and vibrant and there is absolutely no evidence of pixilation. Present on this DVD are both a widescreen and full frame edition of the film. Both editions look equally sharp and vibrant. The widescreen framing looks comfortable and accurate.

Audio is presented in either a Dolby 2.0 mix or a Digital 5.1 mix. Dialogue is crisp and clear and while there isn't a whole lot of separation in the sound, surrounds are used effectively in quite a few scenes.

Extras include an audio commentary with LaSalle and the films trailer. The audio commentary is quite interesting, La Salle certainly has a lot to say (although there are a few brief and unexpected pauses in the commentary track), and the project really seems close to his heart, which of course is nothing but a good thing.

Crazy as Hell is a size 5 trying to fit into a size 9. Acting and directing are both on target and La Salle is to be commended for this. Unfortunately, the film spends too much time dwelling on the inconsequential without giving us something to truly grasp onto until the ultimately abrupt and all too confusing (shock) finale. Perhaps it's worth a rental, but I can't imagine you'd ever want to pop this flick in again, except to see the wonderfully crazy intro scene at the mental hospital, which was brilliant enough to warrent a quick peek.