Is this the Lynchiest thing David Lynch has ever done?
A train station is on lock down. Inside a station cafe, a hard-boiled homicide detective (Lynch) interrogates Jack, a murder suspect.
And Jack just happens to be a capuchin monkey in a tailored suit.
That sentence is inherently funny and yet it is not played for laughs at all. This short film, shot in black and white, takes itself very seriously. In its universe, this sort of thing is unremarkable. But in mine, in ours, it’s actually not so much funny as unsettling. Jack is a monkey but visual effects grant him a human mouth. He sounds rather like a Speak N Spell. But his words are quite grave; Jack is a tormented little monkey.
What Did Jack Do? is the film equivalent of an edible – trippy as hell. And yet it’s so simple that it’s easily followed, even while you’re constantly nervous-giggling, wondering what the hell is going on.
All great directors are voyeurs. They watch things intently in order to convey life authentically. But Lynch is also an exhibitionist. He likes to expose things, always exploring life’s dirty pockets and turning them inside out for all the world to see.
In this, it feels like Lynch is unpacking one of cinema’s favourite cliches: the interrogation. He plays with the language, the pace, the intensity. In casting a monkey he is rather blatantly pointing out the absurdity of what we’ve come to expect in a police procedural. He’s blowing that shit up, and as a lover of all things unexpected and bizarre, these were 17 minutes that have engaged me in ways that most full-length films do not.
ASSHOLES WATCHING MOVIES 
“I hate how my laptop always asks me if I want to turn on sticky keys. No I do not. Not ever. And what the heck are sticky keys?”
Hmm, obviously some top secret Windows nonsense, Jay. Hey, I don’t wanna sound like a zealot missionary (although I guess I am one), but maybe it’s time to kiss all that commercial shit baibai and install an easypeasy Linux. Perfect starter point: https://linuxmint.com/
As long as you don’t need to run critical software for your company but just use your lappy to type out the movie revies, this should help, you a big deal, make your life easier and turn you into Wonder Woman!
Any questions? You know here to find me, dontcha? https://orcaflotta.blog/
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Fascinating. Unexpected, if it were anyone else than Lynch or, maybe, Guillermo del Toro…”He likes to expose things, always exploring life’s dirty pockets and turning them inside out for all the world to see.” Great writing.
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I was just gonna ask “where did you see this?” but then I googled it, and I can watch it on netflix~ Sounds amazing!
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I just watched it. This is the absolute best! Took me a few minutes to keep staring at the monkey’s mouth, to see if it keeps moving with respect to the face. Sometimes it wasn’t perfect. I eventually got over it and was able to enjoy that masterpiece 🙂
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This looks bizarre in a good way. I’m so glad that it’s on Netflix. I have more than 17 minutes to spare tomorrow, and I know what I’ll be doing!
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17 minutes of him as a monkey? This I have to see!
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So weird, I’ll give it a watch tomorrow.
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I love David Lynch, but I think the fact that he voiced himself as a recurring character on The Cleveland Show, though hilarious, kind of lessened his mystique.
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It’s David Lynch. I have to see this.
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I’ll have to keep a lookout for this.
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Weellllll…. I don’t remember taking a hit of “17 minute LSD” but, thanks to this post, that’s apparently what happened.
I enjoyed the abundance of cliche phrases and the song.
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Pingback: O@tNetflix: What Did Jack Do? – Thar She Blows!
Brilliant, the epitome of Lynch. I came to care for Jack in that short 17 minutes, so hats off to DL. Bogart came to mind, and noir films, what with the ping-pong dialogue, sepia tints and cigarette smoke. Lots to think about. Why shouldn’t monkeys adore chickens? And sing about them?
Great post.
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I’ve got this in my Netflix list… just waiting for the perfect 17 minutes.
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I had this on my Netflix list for a few days. Then I noticed it was only 17 minutes. What the heck?
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Lynch is so wonderfully weird–I’ll have to watch this right before I watch the next episode of Criminal UK and see who does it better!
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We just watched it a couple of nights ago—wow, so strange! Loved the chicken though😊
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This was the single weirdest piece of film I’ve ever seen. I loved every second of it. It is totally Lynch and completely wonderful!
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