They say walking through an insane asylum is scarier than walking through a state prison. One Hour Photo shows why. Perhaps it lies in the fact that you really never have any idea what Sy (Robin Williams) is going to do. It’s not that Sy is a total psychopath – he’s just a little off. And it’s that edge to his character that provides an edge to the film.

Sy Parrish has been working at a One Hour Photo shop for the past many years and has come to love and perfect his craft. He enjoys seeing the pictures that everyone brings in, especially those of the Yorkin family. He has been developing their pictures since their son Jake (Dylan Smith) was a baby – the boy is now nine years old. Not only does he develop their pictures, but he also keeps an extra copy of every single one for himself. He has grown emotionally attached to the family and covets their apparent perfection. After all, almost everything he knows about them is from their pictures. In time, however, Sy discovers that not everything in this family is as picturesque as it would seem to be. And that’s when Sy decides to take matters into his own hands.

One Hour Photo’s cinematography really works well the feel of the film and seems to match Sy’s character. It’s that strange feel of the familiar, friendly and ordinary…that’s just a bit off. The music is equally enthralling, yet the film is quiet in the right places. Williams is also convincing as the strange character he’s supposed to be.

One Hour Photo plays with your expectations a lot. It will frequently leads you to believe something just to do the opposite, keeping you awake. The most interesting aspect of the story is simply Sy himself. He’s certainly a sympathetic character, although there’s always something scary about him as well.

The biggest disappointing factor is that the film fails to tell us anything. With such a premise, it seems like there’s a lot it could say, but it pretty much keeps content with freaking you out a bit. Which, in this case, is pretty fun.

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