Based on a true story.

It’s a ubiquitous line in the movie world, often seen in the tales of underdog sports heroes, inspirational crusaders for justice, or the disadvantaged overcoming the odds.

The low-budget vigilante drama Noise fits none of those categories exactly, yet is also based on a true story — incredibly that of its writer and director, Henry Bean.

The film tells about David (Tim Robbins), a New York lawyer who becomes fed up with the barrage of noises that disrupt a good night’s sleep. He takes specific exception to the car alarms that sound off for hours at a time for no good reason.

ThinkFilm

Tim Robbins stars in Noise, a low-budget vigilante drama about a New York lawyer who becomes fed up with the barrage of noises that disrupt a good night’s sleep. The film, based on the real-life experience of writer and director Henry Bean, is coming to DVD on Tuesday.

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So David becomes a superhero of sorts, donning a disguise — in addition to the nickname “The Rectifier” — and circling the city overnight in search of broken car alarms, then vandalizing said vehicles for his own personal pleasure. The effort, which leads to David’s eventual arrest, causes friction between him and his wife (Bridget Moynahan), and eventually with the pompous New York City mayor (William Hurt).

“I was breaking into a car because the alarm was going off for about five hours,” Bean said during a recent promotional stop in Dallas. “Cars were already trashed on the street, but somebody called the police when I got there, and I got arrested.”

Bean said he based David’s arrest scene on his own, and even filmed it in the same location, complete with the smart-aleck remarks Bean said he later regretted.

“I got arrested exactly how he [David] got arrested,” Bean said. “I got myself arrested when I didn’t need to. If I would have been smart, I wouldn’t have gotten arrested.”

The true-life account got even stranger after that.

“I was actually represented in my court appearance by a young lawyer who was just out of the prosecutor’s office. His name was Eliot Spitzer,” said Bean, who said he later offered the role of the lawyer to the real-life Spitzer during his New York gubernatorial term. Spitzer turned him down.

Bean, 63, said Noise is intended as the second part of a trilogy about fanatics that he began with his acclaimed debut feature, The Believer (2001). He said that while The Believer is about a religious fanatic and Noise about a political fanatic, his next film will be about a musician who is an artistic fanatic.

The filmmaker said his films reflect an interest in characters who argue with mainstream society about which issues are important.

“I was interested in somebody who was committing civil disobedience, and I was sympathetic to him,” Bean said. “What interested me was to take somebody who was obsessed with a problem that everybody else thought was trivial, that had a real value but seemed silly given all the things there are to worry about. He knows it’s trivial, but he can’t stop.”

Bean said he always has been fascinated with the topic of obsession and the degree to which it affects people’s lives.

“I think we like to have one thing that preoccupies us, and in reality trumps all other realities,” he said. “I hope the movie is not obsessive. The character is obsessive, but I hope the movie is not.”

Given the film’s meager budget, Bean said he was able to secure cars economically for the various scenes in which David takes action. The parked cars didn’t have engines, for example, and many had prior body damage facing away from the camera.

Noise, which had a limited theatrical run in a few cities this summer, will be released on DVD on Tuesday.

TODD JORGENSON can be reached at 940-566-6871. His e-mail address is tjorgenson@dentonrc.com.