A HITCH OR TWO IN 'ASYLUM'.

Byline: Glenn Whipp Film Critic

A SILLY but not unwatchable collection of some of Alfred Hitchcock's greatest bits, David Mackenzie's overheated ``Asylum'' is an interesting opportunity to watch some great actors working hard to overcome the general nuttiness of their movie. That the movie takes place in a psychiatric hospital is beside the point - the left-field behavior of the film's characters would make a schizophrenic look grounded.

The movie's confused approach to characterization owes much to its cut-and-paste attitude in adapting Patrick McGrath's novel for the screen. Stephen King wrote the first draft, which was then discarded in favor of a screenplay by Patrick Marber (``Closer''), which was then reworked by Chrysanthy Balis. Somewhere along the line, the decision was made to turn the movie into a Cinemax sex romp, junking the psychological approach that grounded the characters' shenanigans.

Bored housewife Stella (Natasha Richardson) accompanies uncaring husband Max (Huge Bonneville) to a mental hospital in 1959 England where he has been appointed deputy superintendent. She spends her days drinking, smoking and caring for their 10-year-old son, Charlie (Gus Lewis). When Stella complains, she is told to behave. Apparently she has had trouble doing this in the past.

But self-control proves difficult when one of the mental patients, Edgar Stark (Marton Csokas), hands Stella bouquets of flowers and casts smoldering glances her way. Never mind that Mr. Stark (as in raving mad) lopped off his wife's head after beating her to death with a hammer. Passion with a madman is better than normalcy with a boring husband, especially so if you're English.

Of course, if Stella had waited around a year and caught ``Psycho,'' she'd have seen how much Csokas' performance owed to Anthony Perkins and wouldn't have bothered. Likewise, Mackenzie goes a little overboard in replicating shots from ``Vertigo,'' though aping the master is preferable to a complete absence of style. But if summoning Hitchcock also underscores how bird-brained your movie is, it's debatable whether the trade-off is worth it.

Ian McKellan is also on hand, playing both a god and a monster, pulling strings and yanking chains like a man possessed. And indeed he is. It's a thin line between sanity and madness in ``Asylum.'' Too bad the filmmakers never effectively address the netherworld that exists between the two.

Glenn Whipp, [phone]

glenn.whipp(at)dailynews.com

ASYLUM - Two stars

(R: strong sexuality, some violence, brief language)

Starring: Natasha Richardson, Hugh Bonneville, Marton Csokas, Ian McKellan.

Director: David Mackenzie.

Running time: 1 hr. 37 min.

Playing: Pacific's Arclight in Hollywood; Landmark's Westside Pavilion in West Los Angeles.

In a nutshell: Not crazy for it.

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Photo:

Marton Csokas is the murderous mental patient romancing Natasha Richardson in ``Asylum.''