The movie concerns Dominic Matei (Tim Roth), an elderly linguistics professor who describes himself as a failure. One stormy day in 1938, he plans his own suicide, but is struck by lightning before he can follow through. Badly burned, he survives the hit and wakes up in the hospital a changed man. He has changed in many ways: His bald head is full of new hair, and new teeth push out their rotting predecessors. He’s also a much smarter man; he learns Chinese in a few days. He’s living in a dangerous period too; both the Romanian secret police and Nazis are after him. But he survives World War II by living under a pseudonym, using his mental agility to beat the casino. As Francis Ford Coppola’s first film in 10 years, the movie is an interesting, honorable failure sure to win (and deserve) its cult status.
