One Moviegoer's Meat May Be Another's 'Poison'

Are you a chemistry concentrator? Do you want to be? Do you hate your friends? How about your parents? Then you'd probably like the wonderful experiments that young Graham performs with his chemistry set in "The Young Poisoner's Handbook."

"The Young Poisoner's Handbook" is the true story of a young 14-year-old psychopath who becomes obsessed with different types of poisons and uses them on his family, classmates and co-workers. Graham Young (Hugh O'Conor) is obsessed with chemistry and studies it with a passion. One day he learns all about Isaac Newton's lifelong obsession with antimony, a highly poisonous material, which when heated appears to transform itself into a diamond of breathtaking beauty. However, when Graham attempts to recreate the experiment it blows up in his face. And thus begins the life of the Poisoner.

Graham's first victim is his school friend Mick, who was planning to take young Sue the librarian to the "Dickie Boon Show." Mick did not know, however, that Sue was the object of Graham's affection. Soon after Mick, Graham decides to use the poison on his step-mother. When she doesn't go quickly enough, Graham decides to try another poison that he'd read about in the comic books, thallium. Excited about his new discovery, Graham starts to use thallium on other members of his family, until he is caught by the police and sent to an institution for the criminally insane.

After several years at the institution, he is selected to undergo a new treatment for the criminally insane. Dr. Ziegler (Antony Sher) works with him for months on end, until he feels that Graham has become fit for society. Graham is finally allowed to leave the institution; but he is given a job at a photographic parts factory, where he rediscovers his old friend thallium and is tempted to use it on his co-workers.

Perhaps you've heard of this movie's alter-ego, "A Clockwork Orange," which turns 25-years-old this year. The similarities between these films are uncanny: both are British and are filled with incomprehensible English accents; both are about psychopaths who are caught and sent to institutions; both protagonists are selected for an new treatment that will make them change their ways; and both criminals soon revert to their old ways after being released. The movies even have similar first-person narration styles and musical scores.

There is more comedy in "Young Poisoner," black comedy, which is its true intention. But the black comedy here is not even close to that of "Pulp Fiction" and "Shallow Grave." The screenplay doesn't keep up with the humor that it strives for, and the narration becomes quite unnecessary as the movie progresses. It also suffers from an excess of graphic violence; there are vomiting scenes a-plenty, making this a good last-date movie.

"The Young Poisoner's Handbook" is definitely a movie for those with strong stomachs. The cinematography and casting don't, however, make up for the lack of characterization and thin humor in a movie that is supposed to be a black comedy. The film is so long and meandering that, in the end, we simply become desensitized to Graham's crimes. Gentle souls should stay far away.