In Theaters THE RED VIOLIN

Spanning five countries, four languages and more than 300 years of history and cultural change, Francois Girard’s “The Red Violin” nearly succeeds in pulling off a terrifically original and ambitious idea.

The film’s central character is not a person, but its famous, fictional musical instrument, the red violin, which it follows from 17th century Cremona, 18th century Vienna, 19th century Oxford, and finally to 20th century Shanghai and Montreal.

It is a harrowing, unabashedly romantic journey that finds the acoustically perfect violin falling in the hands of the poverty stricken, the gifted elite, an orphaned boy, and the politically oppressed.

The film’s art is in its structure, which incorporates musical composition — theme, variation, exposition and recapitulation — into its foundation. The result is a film that sings.

Well, at least for the most part. Unfortunately, this is also a film that has the bad misfortune of featuring Samuel L. Jackson, the action hero, in a role that demands delicacy on all levels, something the clunky Jackson, who delivers his lines as if they were blunt statements, is incapable of doing.

The good news here is that Jackson only harms the film’s last quarter; the first three-quarters are left untouched by him as the film fills in the violin’s violent history.

But when Jackson is on screen, the film’s entire tone changes, cheapening a project that longed to say profound things about music, but instead finds itself bowing under the weight of a tightly strung and stilted performance.

“The Red Violin” opens on July 30 at the Railroad Square Cinema in Waterville.

Grade: B

INSPECTOR GADGET

Disney’s new high-tech film, “Inspector Gadget,” fulfills its mission in whipping up enough eye-popping eye candy to delight its intended audience of very young kids. But don’t expect many thrills if you’re a teenager or an adult.

The film, which is based on the popular 1980s television cartoon, stars Matthew Broderick as Gadget, a half-human, half-robot crime fighter who divides his time between fighting the evil Dr. Claw (Rupert Everett) and blowing some steamy circuits over his beautiful creator, Brenda (Joely Fisher).

At only 80 minutes, the film moves swiftly enough to satisfy even the most limited of attention spans, but in doing so, it makes the mistake of sacrificing any trace of character development; indeed, the characters in “Gadget” are little more than a parade of thin, cardboard stereotypes we’ve seen dozens of times before in marginally better films.

Still, this film isn’t intended for adults; it’s chief interest is in entertaining children, which it does. At my screening, no child under 8 seemed to mind the film’s endless barrage of product endorsements, dropped story lines or gimmicky dialogue. They were hooked on Gadget’s gadgets, which Disney wisely unleashes in a flashy, never-ending blitz of computer-generated images.

The other half of the audience, however, those old enough to hope for more than visual mayhem, were checking the most simple of gadgets — their watches.

Grade: B-

On Video

THE GENERAL

John Boorman’s “The General” may have been shot in black and white, but it hardly lacks color.

The film is the life story of Martin Cahill, Ireland’s infamous thief and outlandish gang leader who stole an estimated $60 million before the IRA gunned him down in 1994.

There’s no question that his story is compelling, but what’s equally as compelling is the story behind the film: Boorman was actually robbed by Cahill years before the director chose to write and direct a film version of the man’s life. That robbery was the impetus for this film, but the real surprise here is how Boorman, the celebrated director of “Deliverance” and “Beyond Rangoon,” chose not to vilify Cahill, but to celebrate him.

Intriguing? Yes. Effective? At times. Entertaining? With Brendan Gleeson delivering an excellent performance as Cahill and John Voight superb as Cahill’s police-inspector nemesis, it certainly can be. But the film’s romanticization of Cahill is disconcerting: Cahill was a savage, sometimes brutal man who stole only for himself while living in a menage a trois with his wife and sister-in-law. For this Boorman celebrates? Maybe he was envious.

Throw yourself into the mix and enjoy.

Grade: B

Christopher Smith is the Bangor Daily News film critic. His film reviews appear each Monday and Thursday in the NEWS. Tonight on WLBZ’s “News Center 5:30 Today” and “News Center Tonight,” he appears in The Video Corner.