Director: Osgood Perkins
Starring: Maika Monroe, Nicolas Cage, Alicia Witt
Running Time: 101 minutes
Synopsis: In Oregon, studious FBI Agent Lee Harker (Maika Monroe) displays psychic abilities. She is assigned the complex case of an at-large serial killer known only as Longlegs (Nicolas Cage), who is believed to have caused the murder of multiple families. Lee is soon contacted by Longlegs and decodes his messages, but as she delves deeper into the case, her strained relationship with her religious mother Ruth (Alicia Witt) takes on new meaning.
What Works Well: The dreary Pacific Northwest aesthetic provides a foreboding setting of secluded farmhouses where bad things happen to seemingly normal families for no apparent reason. The sinister mood is augmented by Maika Monroe's restless, on-the-edge performance, her FBI agent carrying at least as much doubt as confidence. Nicolas Cage is free to unleash his inner unpredictable insanity under a ton of outer makeup, his unhinged dialogue and unprompted singing responsible for a good few unsettling moments.
What Does Not Work As Well: Writer and director Osgood Perkins is better at generating ideas than developing them. Many narrative openings like Lee's clairvoyant powers, Longleg's coded messages, the common birth dates, possessed dolls, and satanic dominion over weak minds are tantalizingly dangled but then fade through either neglect or rushed non-explanations. The caliber of rudimentary evil on display is more suited to a mad clown than the devil.
Key Quote:
Ruth (to her daughter Lee): Are you still saying your prayers? Our prayers protect us from the devil.
All Ace Black Movie Blog reviews are here.
No comments:
Post a Comment
We welcome reader comments about this post.