A Fever in the Blood (2002) Online

I must warn you up front, this is a bloody and violent short film. So if you don't like that sort of thing, think about it before watching. Now I am NOT saying you shouldn't see "A Fever in the Blood"--it's a terrific short film.

The film is a bizarre little film that you just need to turn off your brain and accept it for what it is. It begins with a private detective being attacked in an alley and he gets his ear bitten off! As I said, the film is pretty bloody. For some bizarre reason, afterwords he's got psychological deafness in his other ear. So what if you STILL should have hearing in the inner ear of the chomped ear or that doctors SHOULD have been able to re-attach the ear! Remember--suspend your sense of disbelief.

What happens next makes this film--the quirkiness, the great dialog, etc. all make for an exciting film experience. Apparently, Andrew Pulver based this on a story by the ultra-famous Ethan Coen and it definitely has the look and feel of a Coen film--the irony, the strangeness and the cool dialog. Who exactly Pulver is and how he had access to a Coen story is something I'd love to know, but you can sure tell from the short film that he really can direct and write--the film isn't good just because of its Coen pedigree. In fact, I'd really like to see more from him--it shows style and a nice touch throughout.