Oliver Stone’s Talk Radio a Triumph
Stone barely needed to direct Bogosian, except perhaps to reign him in long enough to let the supporting cast show their considerable skills. John McGinley, Michael Wincott, Ellen Greene and Alec Baldwin all shine in Talk Radio.
The most surprising element of Talk Radio comes only when the viewer realizes that most of the film takes place in the imagination. Bogosian does his monologues from the comfort of a Dallas radio station, but the tension is ratcheted up to unbelievable levels as racists, clueless morons and well-meaning weirdos all try their best to match wits with the angriest radio host in America.
One of the funniest sequences in this dark masterpiece is the scene where Bogosian trades a series of clichÃ?©s with one of his more clueless callers. The catch is, the caller really believes in the clichÃ?©s and doesn’t realize that “It’s always darkest before the dawn” is a direct jab, not a nod of agreement. Stone keeps things moving as a more menacing caller comes in right behind the chirpy, clichÃ?©-loving dimwit.
Race is one of the hot topics in the film. Bogosian gives a hard time to bigots, and overly race-concious rednecks. One chilling moment features a gravel-voice caller informing Bogosian about “what happens to Jews”. In lesser hands, this could degenerate into overblown nonsense, but a total disregard for both political correctness and bigot coddling make the racially charged material effective and compelling.
Oliver Stone deserves a good deal of the credit for atmosphere and some visuals that seem to take inspiration from Orson Wells. There is a bit of Citizen Kane-style camera work here used to good effects when Bogosian isn’t screaming at his callers, or his boss when the radio show goes off the air.
To reveal the life and times of the real-life Alan Berg would ruin the film for newcomers, but it’s sufficient to say that the movie is more of a parable based on Berg’s life. The film doesn’t set out to accurately portray the details of Berg’s life. To learn the particulars of the real life talk show host this film is based on, try the book “Talked To Death” by Stephen Singular.
Critics may have overlooked talk Radio, but dvd rental and cable television gave the film a new life. For Bogosian, who got his start playing bit roles in cheeseball 80’s sitcoms like Sledgehammer, the film is a triumph. It’s a real shame it only wound up as a footnote in Oliver Stone’s career. After humble beginnings with corny horror films like The Hand and an acting role in The Battle of Love’s Return, Talk Radio was an anomaly for Stone, who next directed Born on the Fourth of July and The Doors.
