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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 18 October 2022

When it comes to a great horror-thriller, there are many effective ways to create scares.  At one end of the spectrum, you can go with a farcical scenario involving mythical creatures such as ghosts, demons, zombies or evil spirits.  These films tap into our apprehension of the unknown and the supernatural.  At the opposite end of the spectrum, you can go with a realistic narrative which delves into common fears and inherent suspicions of other people.  Walking down a narrow, unlit alley in a strange town on a rainy evening?  Yeah, that’ll leave most of us on edge.

Written and directed by Zach Cregger, Barbarian is a terrific horror-thriller which creatively finds a way to cover both of the aforementioned alternatives.  It opens with an event which could happen to any of us.  A woman (Campbell), travelling to Detroit for a job interview, arrives at her single-bedroom Airbnb and finds someone else (Skarsgård) already there.  It seems the owner stuffed up and the place was double booked.  Exploring options, she calls a nearby hotel but it’s fully booked given a large medical convention is taking place in the city.

So, what would you do in her shoes?  Would you be prepared to spend a single night in a homestay with a guy you know nothing about?  Would it make a difference if he slept on the couch and you were able to lock the bedroom door?  Would it make a difference if you talked to him for a bit and then formed an opinion as to his true nature?  Would it make a difference if it wasn’t the middle of the night and you had more time to explore other options?  It’s a gripping, plausible opening from Cregger who will have you closely scrutinising every word and facial expression in determining whether Bill Skarsgård is a good guy or a bad guy.

I won’t say too much more because Barbarian is a surprising, continually shifting tale that shouldn’t be spoiled.  You’ll be surprised by both the storyline and the direction.  As an example, there’s a jarring moment half-way through where Cregger turns the tension up to the highest dial before unexpectedly pressing the reset button (you’ll know it when you see it).  The heavy, sinister music score from composer Anna Drubich and the dimly lit, anxiety-building shots from cinematographer Zach Kuperstein add to the film’s impact.

Made for just $4 million USD, Barbarian has been one of this year’s success stories having spent 6 weeks inside the top 10 at the U.S. box-office with almost $40 million USD in ticket sales.  It’s not always the case but it’s nice when positive word of mouth spreads and original, deserving movies find their intended audience.  Hopefully we see the same here in Australia.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 11 October 2022

When it comes to movies about spies, detectives and police officers, the tendency is to simplify and glamorise their activities.  That’s not necessarily a bad thing.  Audiences want to be entertained.  The James Bond, Jason Bourne, and Lethal Weapon franchises won’t win awards for realism but they’ve made truckloads of money because of their fun characters, cool tech, and elaborate action sequences.

All of that said, it’s still nice to see a more realistic perspective and we’ve been offered that in back-to-back weeks here in Australia.  Last Thursday marked the release of The Stranger, a dark, gritty Aussie film about an undercover detective required to put in months of depressing, unsatisfying work with a likelihood it could all amount to nought.  This week, we’ve got The Night of the 12^th, a Belgian-French drama about experienced police officers struggling to make any headway into the murder of a young woman.      

It’s not quite as good (it goes close) but the film brings back memories of David Fincher’s brilliant 2007 thriller, Zodiac.  It taps into the draining nature of the profession and the ways in which a long- unsolved case can take a toll on one’s personal life, including friendships with colleagues.  Front and centre throughout the film is Yohan (Bouillon), the newly appointed lead detective who is overseeing the investigation.

It’s a tricky subject matter but I admired the film for two key reasons.  Firstly, it gets into the weeds and shows us the intricacies of the job.  We watch Yohan as he carefully breaks the news to the deceased woman’s parents, we see the team going through her bedroom and phone in search of clues, and we listen in as they interrogate a wide range of friends and ex-boyfriends.  There’s even a scene highlighting the tedious effort required to type up interview notes.

The other reason is for the strong performances and the way in which the cast, guided by the direction of Dominik Moll (Harry, He’s Here to Help), skilfully illustrate the ups and downs of work friendships.  There are moments of tension when they disagree about suspects and motives.  There are arguments driven by outside-of-work problems which affect judgement and performance.  On the flip side, there are more positive moments where detectives reach a depressing low point and need a kind face to vent and confide in.  A great example is a scene where Yohan has a relaxed chat with a new judge.

Another film to debut at the Cannes Film Festival back in May (there’s been a few of them lately), The Night of the 12^th is a powerful, unnerving drama that hasn’t received a lot of international attention but should not be missed.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 18 October 2022

The dead body of a local 60-year-old man is found at the bottom of a mountain range in South Korea.  It appears to be an unfortunate rock-climbing mishap and in the eyes of many, a costly, time-consuming investigation would be unwarranted.  Experienced detective Seo-rae (Wei) thinks otherwise however.  He and his brash partner (Kyung-pyo) focus their attention on the man’s younger, Chinese-born wife, Hae-jun (Hae-il).  The physical abuse she recently received from her late husband creates a plausible motive but does she have the capability of committing murder and if so, how did she orchestrate it to look like an innocuous accident?

Decision to Leave then goes down an unusual path – the detective and the suspect fall in love.  It sounds like an idea borrowed from a corny, Hollywood thriller trying to offer something for all audiences but director Park Chan-wook (Oldboy, Snowpiercer) handles it with precision.  The development of their relationship will keep audiences on their toes.  Is their love mutual and genuine?  Or is one of them (perhaps both) trying to “play” the other in pursuit of a separate agenda?  It’s easy to see why comparisons have been made to movies such as Vertigo and Basic Instinct.

It’s a terrific screenplay filled with distinctive moments.  One of my favourite scenes sees Seo-rae interrogate Hae-jun in a police station interview room as colleagues look on through a one-way mirror.  The suspect is entitled to basic food but Seo-rae goes above and beyond by ordering an expensive sushi set for them to share as the interview takes place.  It’s a moment that offers intriguing drama (articulating the unusual nature to their growing connection) while also showcasing the unexpected comedic layer created by supporting characters (the reaction of Seo-rae’s partner which was set up by an earlier scene).

Park Chan-wook enhances the material further with his skilled direction.  The cinematography of Kim Ji-yong is the most obvious stand-out and I lost count of how many times I said to myself – “that’s such a great shot!”  The emotional climax, making great use of fading light and creative angles (loved the high shot), exemplifies Ji-yong’s impressive eye.  This is as much a visual feast as it is a romantic mystery.  The editing talents of Kim Sang-bum also deserve praise as he keeps the film moving at a fast pace with sequences which blend current day (the investigation) with the past (the crime).

Requiring your full attention for its 138-minute running time, Decision to Leave is yet another winner to emanate from South Korea.  It won best director at this year’s Cannes Film Festival and is South Korea’s official entry in the best international feature category at next year’s Academy Awards.  It’s the kind of movie you’re likely to remember long after seeing it.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 05 October 2022

I have a good friend who played a key role in the hunt for Daniel Morcombe’s killer and, based on his telling of the story, it’s obvious that it serves as the inspiration for this new Australian drama.  The idea evolved several years ago when actor-filmmaker Joel Edgerton (Boy Erased) optioned the 2015 non-fiction book from author Kate Kyriacou that chronicled the elaborate police operation which ultimately led to a confession and conviction.

Writer-director Thomas M. Wright (Acute Misfortune) was then brought in for the difficult challenge of adapting it for the big screen and several key decisions were made in those early stages.  Firstly, Wright went with a fictionalised narrative which is “based” on the true story.  The most obvious difference is the changing of names (it doesn’t mention the Morcombe family in any way) but other alternations were made in terms of the investigation’s specifics.

Another important creative choice was the decision to focus solely on the “sting” and nothing else.  There’s no depiction of the murder, the immediate aftermath, the family’s grief, the inquest, and the attention in the media.  When the film begins, we’re following an undercover police detective (Edgerton) tasked with becoming friends with someone suspected of the murder (Harris) that took place several years ago.

I like the narrow approach as it allows Wright’s film to highlight the immense work ethic of the undercover detective and the emotional toll it took on his own life.  We’re talking about an intelligent, fast-thinking man who had to put his regular life on hold, pretend to be part of a fake crime gang, and befriend a scumbag suspected of murdering a boy.  This went on for several months with no definitive timeframe.  It could have all amounted to nothing if he said the wrong thing, or the suspect kept his mouth shut.

Joel Edgerton does a commendable job fleshing out the character but I wish there were more opportunities for him to open up to fellow officers/detectives and describe his approach and psyche.  English actor Sean Harris (24 Hour Party People) is terrific as the suspected murderer and depicts him as someone lacking intelligence but also emotionally guarded.  The supporting players pull their weight with emphasis on Jada Alberts as a detective working behind the scenes to put the pieces together.

The Stranger premiered out of competition at the Cannes Film Festival back in May and was criticised by the parents of Daniel Morcombe as “making money off a heinous crime.”  They’re entitled to publicly air such concerns but having now seen the film myself, I believe it respectfully covers the scenario and, despite the heavy subject matter, appropriately pays tribute to hard-working police detectives who deal with cases just like this on a regular basis.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 13 October 2022

Just like Michael Myers himself, the Halloween franchise refuses to die.  It began in 1978 with a low-budget slasher film directed by John Carpenter and now here we are, 44 years later, with a thirteenth movie in the series.  The title suggests it’s the final instalment but when it comes to Hollywood, nothing can be certain when there’s money to be made.

The most recent film, Halloween Kills, was complete rubbish and so it’s great to see the four-person writing team take more chances this time around.  Maybe it really is the last movie???  The prologue introduces us to a new character – 21-year-old Corey Cunningham (Campbell) is from the infamous town of Haddonfield, Illinois but he’s gone through a life-altering tragedy unrelated to Michael Myers.  He was babysitting for a family in the neighbourhood when the child fell from the top of the staircase and was killed.

The event was an accident and several years have passed but it’s been impossible for Corey to shake its effects.  There’s the internal guilt and the lingering question about whether he could have done something differently to prevent what took place.  There’s also the uneasy looks and inferred judgement from folks in the town as Corey goes about his usual day.  You get a sense he should have left town long ago and sought a fresh start.

So… what does any of this have to do with the earlier Halloween movies?  Well, not much and that’s part of the film’s allure.  It’s a different tale driven by more realistic, common human emotions as opposed to simple blood and gore.  To link it together with the returning characters, Corey strikes up a relationship with Allyson (Matichak) and the pair spend an increasing amount of time together.  Her memoir-writing grandmother, Laurie (Curtis), is initially accepting of their connection but after a series of strange events, she starts to worry about Corey’s psychological stability.

I’m reminded of the sport of gymnastics where an athlete’s score is a combination of degree of difficulty and execution.  Using that same methodology, director David Gordon Green (who made the last two movies) gets a winning grade here because of the high difficulty level.  There are a few stumbles along the way – stiff romantic dialogue, convenient timings, unexplained supernatural gimmicks – but he’s taken enough chances in terms of tone and plot to significantly differentiate it from others in the franchise.  As we’ve seen in the United States with school shootings, this film taps into the way grief can overwhelm a small community and cast a dark, depressive shadow that lasts for years, if not decades.

Moving away from the gritty drama, Halloween Ends still offers up gruesome horror at opportune moments and while Michael Myers is relegated to supporting status, he does have a key part of play.  Also, to cornily use another gymnastics term, Green sticks the landing.  The finale is a good ‘un!