Short Review: The Guest

The Guest was a film that I had shrugged off after watching it’s rather underwhelming trailer. To be brutally honest, I felt indifferent to a film taking a generic thriller story and drowning it in John Carpenter-esque style, merely jumping on the bandwagon of films like 2011’s excellent Drive. “If I wanted to see a 1980 styled cat and mouse thriller, I’d just watch a 1980s cat and mouse thriller.”  Yet after borrowing my brother’s copy of it, I was actually taken aback by how much I enjoyed it. 

A soldier returns to pays his respects to his friend’s mourning family. He’s extremely polite and handsome but there’s a dark side beneath all the smiles and good manners. Here lies a systematic psychopath whose sole intention is to terrorise a family with their own individual conflicts, and there’s nothing that can possible stop him. Dan Steven’s titular role is deviously charming, but utterly warped in his actions towards the family. Even when his real intensions are revealed, there’s a twisted desire to see him succeed and that’s credit to Steven’s performance. 

The Guest doesn’t necessarily do anything original, taking a very basic premise and running with it. In fact, the film plays more like a nostalgic trip down the gritty, uncompromising roads of the cult classics of the late 70s and 80s. Blood squibs, a synth soundtrack, long shots of endless roads and an unstoppable killing machine conjure thoughts of The Terminator and Halloween’s Michael Myers. The cinematography and production is well-thought out and coordinated, and the soundtrack is great.

The Guest is much like the 1980’s cult thriller The Hitcher staring Rutger Haeur. Both are engaging thrillers that centre on a fabulous performance from the film’s lead, and produce a constant, underlying level of tension and sheer energy. They’ve both got similar pacing problems and sinks into an outrageous third act, yet still offer an enjoyable time. Recommended. 

Noteworthy Films of 2014: Nightcrawler

Nightcrawler proved to be another film that highlighted how one magnificent performance can elevate a fairly standard story into something memorable and thrilling. While the narrative’s themes of the TV news industry and the questions of morality and ethics are interesting, they’re never explored past the confines of Jake Gyllenhaal’s character. But Gyllenhaal’s sleazy performance shines through the entire picture, becoming the film’s predominant strength. His overly confident and absolute willingness to do anything offers an interesting perspective to both the “cutthroat” nature of TV news and Los Angeles as a city. His gaunt face with slick back hair along with his uneasy, twitchy personality create an utterly detestable being whose sole intention is to gain recognition and wealth without any morale compass. Yet it’s his lack of morality and absence of restraint that makes Nightcrawler’s progressive nature engrossing. There’s an unpredictability to his actions that blurs our preconceptions of his character and the film as a whole.  

Riz Ahmed puts in a firm shift as Lou’s desperate sidekick, while Rene Russo is superb in a volatile performance as a news director with similarly no moral compass. Meanwhile, Robert Elswit’s cinematography is well-executed as always with some slick camerawork. Street lighting, the glow from neon signs and the flashing blues and reds of patrol cars give Los Angeles a seedy and squalid look that suits the overall tone of the film. The editing department also deserve praise for matching the film’s fluctuating pace and mood consistently. 

Nightcrawler is a strong directorial debut from Dan Gilroy, and showcases his ability to get the best out of his cast and crew. By itself, the film isn’t necessarily a culmination of tightly written and composed elements and I was slightly disappointed by its reserved attempts to explore its distinct premise. But some clever dialogue, skilled cinematography and Gyllenhaal’s striking performance propels this from the depths of mediocrity and into something genuinely engaging and noteworthy. 

Noteworthy Films of 2014: Gone Girl

David Fincher’s last film The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo was a slick yet ultimately unnecessary remake of the Swedish thriller of the same name. Fincher’s dark, brooding style has become inseparable from the thriller genre and continues to garner critical acclaim and box office profits. It was therefore fairly predictable that Gone Girl, an adaptation of Gillian Flynn’s novel, wouldn’t be a massive departure from the director’s usual morbid and intense offerings. And while it lacks a certain distinctive edge within the genre, it’s still a captivating and sophisticated thriller with great lead and supporting performances. 

Dealing with the manipulative sensibilities of the press, the mundanity of suburban life, the economic crisis, the modern concept of “family”, depression, and murder, Fincher seems to be at home in an environment of unhappiness and spitefulness. And it becomes progressively clear through the course of the film that he intends to throw the audience head first without buoyancy and restraint. While the motives and the sequences of events are questionable at times, Gone Girl’s sheer temperament and ever-changing pace proves to be rather engrossing.

As with most of Fincher’s work, the term “likeable” never truly fits into his characters' compositions. Gone Girl is no different. Glimmers of compassion and goodwill come from Carrie Coon and some light humour from a surprisingly good Tyler Perry, but they’re battling an uphill struggle against the grim themes of the film. Rosamund Pike’s mentally unstable Amy, brings back memories of a crazed Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction. With a spectacularly vocal and physical presence, she easily steals every scene and arguably the entire film. Her pale complexion, starry gaze and machiavellian smile leave a lasting impression that lingers throughout. Meanwhile Ben Affleck’s acting renaissance continues as the conflicted and clueless husband tumbling through the consequences of both his and Amy’s actions. The film’s depiction of a conflicted household and local community is an uncomfortable yet engaging one that draws comparisons with Thomas Vinterberg’s magnificent The Hunt, which I highly recommend. 

Gone Girl isn’t a perfect film. The story can be incoherent and absurd at times, and happiness never breaches the harsh surface of misery and bitterness. Yet from the superb production design and cinematography to the uncompromising subject matter and memorable characters, this is unquestionably a David Fincher film. And a very good one at that. 

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