Filed under: Film Reviews | Tags: carnage, christoph waltz, george cowan, jodie foster, john c reilly, kate winslet, movies, plays, reviews, roman polanski, societal norms
Roman Polanski is getting better with age. “Ghost Writer” (Pierce Brosnan, Ewan McGregor) was one of the first movies I truly enjoyed of his and “Carnage” is now another spectacular addition to his filmography. With a dazzling cast of four (Kate Winslet, Jodie Foster, John C. Reilly, Christoph Waltz), this 80 minute verbal spat fest is plain good fun and unfurls dramatically like the play it was based on suggests.
There’s really not much meat here. Don’t go watching “Carnage” thinking it’s going to change your life or challenge your beliefs. It’s a play; it’s entertainment. The focus here is the sharp dialogue and the spectacular performances. Michael and Penelope Longstreet (Reilly and Foster) invite Nancy and George Cowan (Winslet, Waltz) over to their house to discuss a recent act of aggression between their sons. Zachary Cowan hit Ethan Longstreet with a stick and now the parents wish to resolve the situation peacefully. As you can assume from the title, while things start out peachy and nice, shit gets real very fast. When the parents can’t see eye to eye, societal norms in peacemaking start breaking down and everyone begins to find an enemy in the person next to them.
This is one of those movies where the casting is just right. Each person delivers a performance that is unique and appropriate, allowing the audience to really believe in the argument at hand, following easily through the hills and valleys of the winding conversation. If I had to choose, I think Waltz gets the best acting award. His sly, almost devious, and certainly intelligent character, George, slinks his way through the conversation taking sides effortlessly and attacking in subtle yet cutting ways of verbal bludgeoning. Just the way he talked and carried himself from scene to scene made him a quietly violent force which proved to be devilishly entertaining.
Final Say: 4 Stars (Please check ratings column on the side bar)
“Carnage” is a smart, fun film that does little else than entertain, but isn’t that why we watch movies in the first place? Certainly a sleeper hit that’s good for the high brow comedy class.
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