Leonardo DiCaprio searches for an island paradise in The Beach

DiCaprio plays Richard, a young American wandering through Thailand in search of "freedom" (he apparently didn't see Brokedown Palace, in which Claire Danes does the same thing and ends up behind bars for unknowingly smuggling heroin). He likes ignoring rules, being able to take drugs, and having no one to answer to. In his fleabag hotel, he develops an eye for a young French woman (Virginie Ledoyen) who is staying with her boyfriend next door. Richard then learns about an island paradise with white beaches and plenty of natural marijuana fields. The island is allegedly an urban myth, but a mysterious stranger offers Richard a map. Curious, Richard recruits the French couple to join him on a search for the place.

Lo and behold, the island paradise exists. And there is an abundant supply of pot growing wild, although a nasty bunch of armed guards protect it. Also on the island is a cult group who has created a utopian society. They have built their own little city, set their own rules, and made sure that their existence has been kept secret from the rest of the world. The leader is Sal (Tilda Swinton), an ethereal neo-hippie who serves as a maternal figure to the other members. Richard and friends are accepted into the society and begin to participate in its rituals.

Here is where The Beach gets really bizarre. Without giving anything away, let me say that Richard makes a mistake that puts the group in jeopardy. He is then ostracized and heads deep into the woods where he confronts his innermost demons, hallucinating wildly, stalking around in a bandanna and fantasizing that he is a character in a video game.

During one of the early scenes in Thailand, a clip of the movie Apocalypse Now is shown. This is no mistake because The Beach ultimately becomes a trippy rip-off of that film as well as "Heart of Darkness," the Joseph Conrad novella on which it's based. The last 45 minutes of The Beach are so over-the-edge gonzo that the picture becomes almost laughably bad. DiCaprio runs around like a crazy man, hiding in the bushes, hissing at people, and shooting imaginary weapons. You can feel the filmmakers trying to go for a Deep Statement here, but the whole enterprise comes off as silly.

Even before it loses its bearings totally, the movie is a snoozer. Part of the problem is that you never get to know the characters very well, so it's hard to care about them. This is particularly true of the French couple. Richard's invitation to join him seems arbitrary; the characters have no real purpose to the plot. The cult group is equally enigmatic (not to mention just flat-out boring). What, really, do they stand for? Well, like Richard, they hate living by society's rules and enjoy smoking pot. But so what? There's absolutely no reason to care about them, no larger principle at work to make them symbolic or identifiable.

I liked the early scenes with Richard, as he makes a concerted effort to live on the edge in search of freedom and excitement (a scene in which he is challenged to drink snake blood is particularly effective). And I understand the story's message: any society has rules, some of which will seem barbaric and unfair. But the character's "transformation" is unconvincing because what he finds on the island is monotonously vague. There isn't enough justification for his changing perspectives.

On paper, this must have seemed irresistible to 20th Century Fox. After all, it has the biggest heartthrob in the world running around shirtless on a gorgeous beach in a film directed by one of the most innovative and talented directors working today. Unfortunately, the movie goes full-tilt weird in a manner it can't pull off. The Beach ends up beaching itself like a big old whale.

( 1/2 out of four)

The Beach is rated for violence, some strong sexuality, language & drug content. The running time is 1 hour and 56 minutes.