The Safe House - Expositions

Much has been made of Robin Williams' movie makeover from sunny fella ("Patch Adams," "Bicentennial Man") to bad dude ("Insomnia" and "One Hour Photo," opening today). But our local movie star would like to remind everyone that this is not his first venture to the dark side.

"I've done this before in 'The Secret Agent,' which, you know, two people saw," he said.

I was one of the two, and Williams indeed gave me the willies. The movie was adapted from Joseph Conrad's novel about 19th century British anarchists, a book that has the dubious distinction of being Ted Kaczynski's favorite.

Williams is sure to creep people out in "One Hour Photo" as a lonely drugstore employee who becomes psychotically attached to a beautiful family whose pictures he develops.

What attracted him to the role? "It was about the idea of creating someone who was such a cipher. He is really living his life through these pictures and fantasizing himself as part of this family. They're young and perfect in terms of that ideal image. And that's what he finds fascinating, because he is totally the opposite. People have asked me, 'Did you bring the character home with you?' No! The clothes alone were frightening enough!"

Director Mark Romanek told me that Williams fell into character quite naturally. "We didn't have a lot of specific discussions. I got to know Robin a little, and he is a many-faceted and extremely complicated performer." Romanek understands the breed. As a music video director, he's worked with Madonna, Mick Jagger and Michael Jackson.

Expect to see Williams in a lighter mood next time. "If you keep doing movies like 'One Hour Photo' back to back, then people will go, 'Oh f--, another dark flick,' " he said.

'BLACKOUT' HANGOUT: Tosca is known as a celebrity hangout. But this week has seen a record number of San Francisco cops imbibing at the North Beach bar. Look more closely, though, and you'll spot Ashley Judd, Andy Garcia and Samuel L. Jackson in the sea of blue.

They play some of the city's finest in "Blackout," a thriller directed by Phil Kaufman that's being shot in San Francisco through September. In the bar scene, Judd has just been promoted to police inspector and is celebrating with pals, whom she thanks in an exuberant speech. Garcia plays her partner, and Jackson is her mentor. It's not in the script, but don't be surprised if Tosca proprietor Jeannette Etheredge pops up in a cameo.

TEEN ANGST: A fix arrives today for those suffering from "Six Feet Under" withdrawal. Lauren Ambrose -- an Emmy nominee as Claire, the show's perennially troubled teen -- can be seen as another alienated adolescent in the new movie "Swimming."

"I love playing young women coming of age, trying to figure out who they are, starting to see their lives for what they are," said Ambrose, who finds accessing her high school experience easy, though she graduated in 1996. "It's like your ego is being born at that time. You're starting to realize how other people see you.

"Claire doesn't quite fit in, so she embraces being an outsider -- she wants to live on the fringe, plus she's this observer and has this objective point of view and gets to comment on what's going on around her."

Unlike the chatterbox Claire, her character in "Swimming" hardly speaks. "It was almost like being a silent-movie actor. You had to figure out, like Charlie Chaplin, walking around in those overalls, how to do small things, like with my walk or with my hands, or my face."

Ambrose felt at home shooting "Swimming" in Myrtle Beach, the popular South Carolina resort town. It reminded her of New Haven, where she grew up. "They both have this sort of carny/Coney Island kind of vibe."

GOOD OL' DAYS: Returning from vacation, I was surprised to hear that producer Robert Evans failed to show up for his second scheduled San Francisco appearance in conjunction with "The Kid Stays in the Picture," a documentary about his rise and fall and rise. I heard him the first night at the Embarcadero Cinema, and he was in fine form. He told me that this was his first time addressing a movie-house crowd and that he chose our city for old times' sake.

"I had the best time in my life in San Francisco. Some of what I did here is printable, and some of it isn't," said the legendary playboy.

Evans said it was tough to write the memoir on which the film is based. "It's difficult enough to write about your f-- -ups, but you have to rewrite it and rewrite it."

FILM FESTIVAL HITS: In the weeks leading up to the Mill Valley Film Festival, hits from past festivals will screen at the Rafael Film Center. "Salaam Bombay!" plays at 7 p.m. Sunday. This is a remarkable quasi- documentary about kids living on the streets of Bombay. Other favorites include "Heavenly Creatures," featuring a young Kate Winslet (Sept. 1) and "To Sleep With Anger," starring local Danny Glover (Sept. 18).

Chronicle correspondent Hugh Hart contributed to this column.

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