Less a remake than a reinvention of the landmark 1986 BBC miniseries, Keith Gordon’s vibrant, hyperstylized feature is based on a script completed by Dennis Potter shortly before his death in 1994.

A few words of advice for those among you fortunate and/or dogged enough to have seen the original The Singing Detective miniseries that aired on the BBC in 1984: If you plan on seeing the new movie, ...