Spacey triumphs as man who claims to be alien

"K-Pax"

Directed by: Iain Softley

Starring: Kevin Spacey, Jeff Bridges

Rated: PG-13

In the middle of Iain Softley's philosophical drama "K-Pax," I remarked to my wife, someone who knows more about movies than anyone I know, that I couldn't imagine anyone else in the role of Prot besides Kevin Spacey. She agreed but suggested maybe Richard Farns-worth.

Sadly, Farnsworth took his own life after the performance of a long career in "The Straight Story," so the point is moot.

The fact is, though, Spacey is a great actor who constantly "owns" the roles he undertakes.

From Verbal Kent in "The Usual Suspects," to the tragicomic lead character in "American Beauty," Spacey is al-ways eminently watchable and a great presence on screen.

"K-Pax" is another triumph for the actor and he pulls off a difficult character with his usual aplomb.

Director Softley is a great craftsman as well. His films are few but vary widely in style and subject.

He debuted with the amazingly entertaining biopic about the early days of The Beatles, "Backbeat," and hit a high- water mark a few years back with his adaptation of the Henry James novel, "The Wings of the Dove." "K-Pax" is quite unlike any of his other films, and a look at the basic premise may remind some of Ron Howard's "Cocoon."

That was a pretty sweet movie, but leaned a little more towards science fiction, whereas "K-Pax" seems firmly rooted in its philosophical questioning.

Spacey, as Prot, literally pops onto the scene one day, and after an altercation with the police, wherein he informs them his name is Prot and he's from the planet K-Pax, in a solar system some 1,000 light years away, he's summarily committed to a psychiatric ward.

Prot comes under the care of Dr. Mark Powell (a good-as-usual Jeff Bridges), a workaholic who has pretty much seen it all in his line of work. All, that is, except Prot, who fascinates and befuddles the good doctor.

Seeming normal

In nearly all matters, Prot seems normal. He's intelligent, well-mannered and well spoken, calm, kind and quick-witted.

There's just that nagging little matter of being from a planet that would take 1,000 years to reach, even if traveling at the speed of light. (Prot explains that Einstein was somewhat mistaken when claiming nothing could ever travel faster than light.)

Prot amazes Dr. Powell with his stories of K-Paxian life and also astounds a group of astronomers with his description of the orbit of his home planet.

The solar system K-Pax has only recently been discovered and his scientific musings are right on the money; however, when under hypnosis, and regressed by Dr. Powell, Prot seems to have an earthbound history.

Like all great heroes of films featuring folks in mental wards or prison think R.P. McMurphy in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" or Luke from "Cool Hand Luke" Prot sets about doing something no doctor or warden has managed: Healing the patients.

He also tells them that on July 27, he's heading back to K-Pax and can take one, and only one, fellow patient with him. Everyone on the ward begins a serious case of brown-nosing our favorite alien, with hopes he will choose them to be his traveling companion on his light beam back to K-Pax.

While Prot is never accused of having a messianic complex, the film certainly does and I don't mean that in a bad way. The parallels to Christ (and other major religious figures) is unmistakable.

Some have found the New Age philosophies expounded here to be a big negative for "K-Pax," but it didn't really bother me at all.

Spacey and Bridges are so good, and so good together, that the film is completely worthwhile if for no other reason than to see these fine actors plying their trade.

In the end, the film opens the door to a lot of unanswered questions and will no doubt spark a great deal of discussion of the true nature of Prot.

Whether or not he's really from K-Pax, though, is less important than the impact he makes on all the lives he touches.

In the tradition of the films mentioned above, as well as "The Man Who Fell to Earth," "Starman," "The Fisher King" and "The Brother From Another Planet," "K-Pax" is science fiction with a big dose of philosophical questions popping up throughout the tale.

(Jim Wunderle works at Associated Video Producers and is a Springfield free-lance writer and musician.)