The critics on Rotten Tomatoes are unreliable and often say and do idiotic things. Yet I was pleasantly surprised when this horror/thriller, which was getting in the high 90% for ratings, wasn’t spoiled by any of the reviews I glanced at.
This wasn’t screened for the San Diego critics, so off to the Angelika Film Center to check it out over the weekend.
The first 15 minutes, my wife and I were ready to leave. We’re watching a man with a shotgun chasing a woman, and the score – with loud bass and guitar – was just so deafening (it was like the time I was at a Dinosaur Jr. concert, and stood five feet from the amps). Yet I’m glad we stayed, because it threw in a few little twists that made this extended chase a bit of fun.
It was all shot in 35mm (and by actor Giovanni Ribisi, which was surprising). It felt like an old school, ‘70s grindhouse picture. And while watching it, you can see J.T. Mollner’s (writer/director) influences – Tarantino, De Palma, Coens, etc.
This review will be spoiler free, which means you’re not going to get much on the story. We see a one-night stand with Willa Fitzgerald, fleeing a guy with a shotgun, Kyle Gallner. I laughed at the thought that she could outrun him in a Ford Pinto (my family owned many when I was growing up, and it was not only the worst car of the ‘70s, but perhaps of all time).
She finds a safe place in the woods with a couple “mountain people” (Ed Begley Jr., Barbara Hershey). Any guesses whether she’ll be found? Or if these “mountain people” are to be feared as well? I mean, we do see them preparing a breakfast that you’ll either think looks like the most disgusting thing ever, or the most delicious – and will surely be as bad for the heart as one of the knives you’re going to see plunged into a character at some point in the film.
The Nic Cage horror movie “Longlegs” got a lot of attention a few months ago, and my wife and I disliked it. They used a lot of T. Rex music that didn’t work. In this film, the use of the song “Love Hurts” (the version by Nazareth is one of my least favorite songs in music history) – but this duet from Z Berg (from the band “The Like”) with her godfather Keith Carradine – worked wonderfully.
The blood and guts thing isn’t my bag, and my wife and I laughed and talked about this all the way home, both being so shocked by it. After a few days of me talking about it, she made me shut up.
The two-hander gives us incredible performances from both Fitzgerald and Gallner.
This is very violent and gory, so it’s not for the faint of heart. It’s easily the most shocking film you’ll see this year.
Stephen King and others have been praising it online, and I understand why. It’s a crazy ride that’s rather entertaining. It’s just hard to recommend to those that are squeamish.
3 stars out of 5.