profound

It's a shame this isn't better than it is, because Ben Gazzara is an excellent actor who looks like and portrays Bukowski better than any other actor to have done so. Unfortunately the film is kind of a meandering mess that even Bukowski was apparently unimpressed with.

I don't care much for Bukowski. All that romanticizing of depravity just seems like an attempt to excuse his misogyny, laziness, alcoholism, cruelty and vulgarity. Ferreri doesn't bring anything very interesting to the material, and basically leaves Gazzara to stumble around and wax poetic about death, souls, and dying souls. There's some hilariously bad lines that I assume come from the author himself. Gazzara is very good, though, except his boyish face has a tendency to look too smug.

Interesting Bukowski adaptation. Gazzara is great, and Ornella Muta is gorgeous as always.