Richard (Leonardo DiCaprio), Francoise (Virginie Ledoyen) and Etienne (Guillaume Canet)try to evade a deadly menace.

by Mary Lindsley
senior editor

What a difference a few years can make. Just seven years ago, fresh off of outstanding performances in two of his earliest films ("This Boy's Life," "What's Eating Gilbert Grape?"), Leonardo DiCaprio seemed to be well on his way to joining the echelons of Hollywood's most talented actors.

While DiCaprio succeeded in fulfilling his potential in his subsequent films, his more recent work has been marred by acting one would expect from a less skillful performer. Unfortunately, DiCaprio's latest project, "The Beach," does little to reverse the downward trajectory his career seems to be following. What's worse, the film itself, like its star, fails to live up to its potential.

"The Beach" features DiCaprio as a restless, disenchanted tourist searching for adventure in Bangkok, Thailand. He finds it when he meets Daffy (Robert Carlyle), a drug-addled psychopath staying in the hotel room next to his. Daffy gives Richard a map to a little-known island claimed to be the closest thing to paradise found on earth. Richard encourages a young couple in the room next door to come to the island with him. When they eventually reach it, they find it to be beautiful beyond their expectations.

They also discover that the island is inhabited by two groups: one is a band of gun-toting marijuana farmers, the other is a group of people who've decided to reside on the island in order to escape the pressures of day-to-day life. The trio is entranced by this utopian-style community and decide to stay, but soon find the idyllic life of the island is easily broken down by the intrusion of reality.

"The Beach," based on the 1996 Alex Garland novel of the same name, seems to be striving to be a Generation-X version of "The Lord of the Flies." However, this film lacks the depth and the dark commentary on human nature that its predecessor expressed so powerfully. The only message that "The Beach" conveys is that when burdened by the pressures of reality, play volleyball.

The film also suffers from poorly-developed characters. We never learn anything about Richard's background or why he's willing to risk his personal safety to find excitement in his life. The film also provides no explanation for the changes Richard undergoes during the course of the film; he inexplicably begins to slip into madness and inexplicably slips back out again. In the end, he comes across simply as a shallow slacker who fails to understand the consequences of his actions. DiCaprio manages to be believable as Richard when he's at his most superficial. During the few instances the script allows DiCaprio to stretch his role, he fails to be convincing.

"The Beach" isn't so excruciatingly bad that it's impossible to sit through, but it's a disappointing experience nonetheless.