'SIMON' ATTEMPTS MUCH, FALLS SHORT.

Byline: Glenn Whipp Film Critic

The range-war western genre takes a ride on the magical mystery tour with ``Simon Magus,'' a beautifully shot, portentously deliberate movie that suffers a bit from its creator's sense of selmportance.

Royal College of Arts graduate Ben Hopkins wrote and directed ``Simon Magus'' and filmed it two years ago. The fact that it's just now finding its way to the States speaks less about the film's quality than it does its commerciality. Let's face it: There's a finite audience for a movie about an enigmatic idiot outcast caught in a religious war between a tiny, 19th- century Jewish enclave and a group of hateful anti-Semites.

Not that the subject matter doesn't have its possibilities. But Hopkins is determined to give his feature debut an overarching fablelike quality that his writing simply does not support. Still, there are elements to recommend, including Noah Taylor's performance in the title role and the gloomy grandeur of Nic Knowland's cinematography.

Simon Magus shares his name with a biblical magician who tried to buy his way into becoming the 13th disciple. This Simon is equally befuddled, an outcast from a small Jewish town who earns his living by threatening to rain a curse on anyone who doesn't give him a coin or two. This Simon also sees visions and has periodic conversations with the devil (played, all too briefly, by Ian Holm).

The townsfolk, understandably, don't warm up to Simon, which hurts his feelings and sends him running to the gentiles, where he finds a welcome host in Maximilian Hase (Sean McGinley). Hase owns more than half the town and wants to increase his stake by building a railway station. A local squire (nicely played by Rutger Hauer) owns the land, but seems just as inclined to give it to a gentle Jewish scholar, Dovid (Stuart Townshend) as sell it to the ruthless Hase.

``Simon Magus'' also sports a couple of sweet romantic subplots as well as enough spiritual torment and dreary imagery to make Bergman weep. But Hopkins takes too long to establish his characters, and despite some welcome flashes of comic relief, the movie's somber tone often translates to somnolence.

Still, you can't be too hard on a film that so perfectly captures dampness that when Simon hallucinates seeing a head in the shape of a mushroom, you not only believe the apparition but can almost smell the mildew.

``SIMON MAGUS''

(Rated R: violence, adult themes)

The stars: Noah Taylor, Embeth Davidtz, Rutger Hauer, Ian Holm.

Behind the scenes: Written and directed by Ben Hopkins. Released by Fireworks Pictures.

Running time: One hour, 46 minutes.

Playing: Landmark's Nuart Theater in West Los Angeles.

Our rating: Two and one half stars

CAPTION(S):

photo

Photo:

Noah Taylor stars in the title role of ``Simon Magus.''