FILM REVIEW: Mystery Train (1989)

Part of the Jim Jarmusch ‘All About the Masters’ Series

* * * ½

I grew up in California in my very early years. Considering my steady diet of the family’s VHS collection, it was only a matter of time before I begged my parents to take me to Hollywood, having seen that iconic sign time and time again. Well, they gave in and we took a casual trip one afternoon. Even at that age (I must have been 6 or 7 at the time), I could tell that the movies left out a lot of the rougher edges of Hollywood? Did I care, though? Did I feel like I was lied to? Absolutely not. In spite of such a rough location, there was something magical just knowing I was strolling down the very streets where icons of pop culture had been defined. That must have been what it felt like to be the Japanese couple in Mystery Train, Jim Jarmusch’s cinematic love letter to Memphis, Tennessee, and the spirits of its rock-and-roll heyday that ring prominently.

Mystery Train recalls three stories all taking place on the same night in Memphis, linked together by the seedy Arcade Hotel, run by a night clerk played by no other than Screamin’ Jay Hawkins himself. The first story, “Far from Yokohama”, follows the adorable adventure of a young starry-eyed Japanese couple who idolize Memphis’s rock-and-roll gods – she (Youki Kudoh) worships Elvis, who believes he has a perennial and metaphysical connection to various figures, from the Buddha to the Statue of Liberty; he (Masatosi Nagase) is stern in his belief that Carl Perkins is the true godfather of rock.

Chapter two, “A Ghost”, recounts an Italian widow (Nicoletta Braschi) trying to get her husband’s coffin back to Italy, but due to complications winds up stranded in Memphis, eventually sharing a room with a woman (Elizabeth Bracco) who is leaving the city after boyfriend issues. Finally, we have “Lost in Space”, where Johnny’s (Joe Strummer) recent break-up takes him on a rowdy night of booze and a revolver, eventually having to take refuge at the Arcade Hotel.

There is a ghostly feel to Mystery Train. Not in a horrifying or tragic kind of way, but a kind of energy presence that’s just there – you have no idea what it is, but you know it’s there. Perhaps Jarmusch achieves this in his very portrayal of Memphis. The city is not a sprawling, glitzy metropolis, but rather a boarded up, washed out, dilapidated landscape. A shadow of its former self, so to speak.  Interestingly enough, though, Mystery Train is, without a doubt, madly in love with Memphis and all of the history and culture that surround it, and that love shows in spite of the less-than-pleasing aesthetics. I’m prepared to say that Jarmusch somehow finds beauty in those same boarded up, abandoned buildings without ever sugarcoating it.

Or perhaps the magic of Memphis is captured in the scale that Jarmusch depicts the movie in. When traversing the streets, the characters tend to be quite small in comparison to the frame, which is filled to the brim with Memphis and all of its offerings, almost as if the city itself is becoming a character. Additionally, perhaps all that empty and dilapidated space is what gives it the unique ghostly atmosphere that permeates throughout.

But, of course, there must be substance present, which there is for the most part. Though “A Ghost” drags a little bit for my taste (in spite of a hilarious, if morbid, setup), “Far from Yokohama” is absolutely adorable (as well as my personal favorite chapter in the movie), and “Lost in Space” features a comically violent scenario that predates the Tarantino-brand of indie movies that would come in just a few years.

Performances are pretty enjoyable overall. “Far from Yokohama” would not be what it is without Kudoh’s fan-girl obsession with Elvis and Nagase’s firm stoicism, which makes him funnier instead of annoying (their arguments about Elvis vs. Perkins are always amusing). Like the material in “A Ghost”, Braschi and Bracco aren’t anything particularly special, but they get the job done well enough. And the trio of Strummer, Rick Aviles, and Steve Buscemi are pitch-perfect for “Lost in Space”. And let’s not forget Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’s night clerk and his trusty bellboy, played by Cinque Lee. Though they exist mostly in the backdrop with an occasional moment in the spotlight here and there, they steal that spotlight every scene they’re featured in. Bonus points for Tom Waits, who lends his voice as the night-time DJ for Memphis radio.

Perhaps my biggest gripe with Mystery Train is its pacing. The chapters move along just fine, but there’s something clunky in the transitions that grind to, not a halt, but rather a slowdown. I’ve mentioned it before, but I’ll say it again; the least interesting chapter being the center portion of the film really slows things down, especially considering it follows the best part of the movie. All that said, the movie’s closure gets the job done flawlessly.

I admit that the Elvis era of rock is not my preferred music scene, but I was drawn in by Mystery Train’s unique spell just enough that I was charmed throughout. Sure, there are some slogs here and there, but the great moments are so much so that you will never forget them – I just watched this for the first time in 6ish years, and “Far from Yokohama” was just as wonderful as I remember it. Maybe not Jarmusch’s greatest work, but it’s a very enjoyable one, as well as a sign of his style expanding into new ground.