Stoker (UK-US, 2013)
What happens when the director of the Vengeance trilogy (that culminated in the demented Oldboy, Korea, 2003) goes to Hollywood? Actually, not quite Hollywood as this is a Scott Bros. production (Tony’s last) and wears its indie sensibilities with its $15m budget. Park Chan-wook in America, certainly, but creating a particular Gothic world that is too uncomfortable for the mainstream.
What a cast; for the money or otherwise. I’ve despaired recently about Nicole Kidman, who seemed to have gotten lost in Hollywood, but she does a brilliantly brittle turn as the mother of the bullied, yet sinister, India Stoker (Mia Wasikowska – very good). Similarly excellent is Matthew Goode, all sinister charm, as Uncle Charlie who seems to have stepped out of Hitchcock’s Shadow of a Doubt (1943). Hitch visited small town America; Park visits the Gothic; the film’s title is a tribute to Bram.
Park certainly has an eye for composition and there are some stunning set ups and the cinematography, Chung Chung-hoon, is great. While there are some gut-wrenching moments, it’s not as visceral as Oldboy (well, not much is) and the horror is nicely balanced between shock and suspense.
I was disappointed by the film. ‘Don’t go to Hollywood’ should be the mantra for World Cinema filmmakers: I don’t think John Woo has made anything approaching his Hong Kong work in the movie capital. Visually the film is impressive, but plot and story-wise, not really. I think the problem is mainly in the screenplay. After seeing the film I and another viewer discussed how many redrafts might be needed.
And what’s with all the Hitchcock references. My fellow viewer advised me that they had taken out quite a few already at the script stage.
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Well as I noted, it’s not strictly Hollywood; maybe ‘don’t go to America’! I don’t think it compares to the ‘Vengeance trilogy’ but it is a successful genre piece; the Hitchcock references suggest playfulness rather than seriousness.
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No, its Hollywood. US Independents could be fertile, as could other parts of the Americas.
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