Masked and Anonymous

In some unnamed country—or some alternate or future America—a legendary folk singer (legendary folk singer Bob Dylan) is sprung from prison to perform at a concert for the benefit of the victims of a devastating revolution. Directed by TV veteran Larry Charles (Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm) from a script credited to Rene Fontaine and Sergei Petrov (reportedly Charles and Dylan themselves), the film is an enervating wreck. Fontaine and Petrov’s dialogue is laden with portentous pseudo-meaning intended to evoke Dylan’s song lyrics. But watching the film is like listening to Art Bell babble about UFOs: It seems always on the verge of making a point but never gets there. Some musical moments relieve the general tedium: Dylan on “Dixie,” and Tinashe Kachingwe’s “The Times They Are a-Changin’.”