Robin Williams is a bad ass. Or at least he’s trying to be.

Before “One Hour Photo,” which opened in the Syracuse area this past weekend, most of Williams’ movies were fairly stereotypical. He wavered between bubbling comedic roles, such as those in “Mrs. Doubtfire” and “Flubber,” and more dramatically inspirational characters, like in “Dead Poets Society” and “Good Will Hunting.”

This year, however, Williams has been letting his inner bad boy come out and play. He starred as a psychotic children’s television host in the dark comedy “Death To Smoochy” and squared off against Robert DeNiro in the thriller “Insomnia.”

And now, in “One Hour Photo,” Williams appears to have fully developed his dark side with a creepy performance as a photo technician stalking a family. Backed by a decent story, suspense direction and a likable cast, “One Hour Photo” will leave you looking at Williams, and photo technicians around the nation, in an entirely different light.

The movie opens with a camera’s focus ultimately flashing to capture a shot of Seymour “Sy” Parrish (Williams). Sy’s not too much to look at. An older man with washed-out features and pale clothing, he practically blends in with the neutral walls of the interrogation room where Detective James Van Der Zee (Eric La Salle of NBC’s “ER”) is questioning him.

We flash ahead to discover Sy working hard as a photo technician at SavMart, a bright and cheery retail store. Sy loves his job and especially loves the glimpses of happy lives provided through the film of his regulars. He has a special devotion to the Yorkins, the perfect family — a successful husband Will (Michael Vartan, “Alias”), a beautiful wife Nina (Connie Nielsen, “Gladiator”), and a cutely inquisitive son Jake (newcomer Dylan Smith).

He relishes the Yorkins’ photos so much that he often makes an extra set of prints for himself. Covering the walls of his drab apartment with the brightly colored photos of the Yorkins’ picture-perfect life, Sy dreams of belonging to a family like theirs.

A strange voyeuristic obsession at first, Sy’s obsession with the family deepens once he uncovers a dark secret that tarnishes his picturesque view of the Yorkins. Coupled with problems from his SavMart manager, Bill Owens (Gary Cole, “Office Space”), Sy begins to spiral out of control, eventually eliciting police involvement.

This is Williams’ movie and his performance absolutely steals the show. Those used to a cuddly, loveable Williams will cringe with every creepy move that Sy makes. Far from over-the-top, Williams tones down his often wild personality to portray Sy as a desperate man, clinging to these images of happiness and driven over the edge upon the family’s betrayal.

The actors who portray the Yorkins do a good job of presenting themselves as the happy-go-lucky objects of Sy’s fantasies. Nielsen is extremely likable as Nina, an attractive and vivacious young mother. It’s no wonder Sy is so fond of her. Vartan is slightly swarmier as husband Will, a nice change from his goody-goody television role. La Salle optimizes his limited screen time and effectively portrays the take-no-shit police detective.

Written and directed by Mark Romanek (“Static”), “One Hour Photo” works by showing up the stalker’s point of view. Movies of this kind usually follow the terrorized family, but for most of this film, the Yorkins are unaware of Sy’s strange behavior and the significance behind it. This makes it even creepier for the viewer to watch.

Romanek also handles the film’s more suspenseful moments well. Throughout its entirety, he successfully leaves the fates of two characters dangling as audience members clutch each other, wondering if they are alive or not. And he allows Sy’s dark descent to unravel at its own pace, never hurrying him along.

Overall the film gets my approval, but I would have liked to see a greater look into Sy’s past, revealing the reasons why he is the way he is. These answers are briefly touched on during the film’s closing moments, but referenced through flashbacks or dream sequences would have been useful earlier in the film.

“One Hour Photo” couples everyday terror and a severely strong performance from Williams to create a picture of cinematic fun.

Christopher Reilly is a junior magazine major. His reviews appear Fridays in the Daily Orange.

E-mail him at passpopcorn@yahoo.com

Published on September 18, 2002 at 12:00 pm