Hey! My hair looks nothing like that Paulie Walnuts fanook!
Cronenberg, Viggo, Russian Mafia… considering all the talent involved, this was a horribly wasted opportunity. Excellent example of a great, provocative director at serious odds with an unfocused script. The dialogue wavers obnoxiously between cheap comedy and bland sermonizing — I’d like to sit down and count the amount of time Naomi Watts says “She was only 14!” There are some great Cronenberg moments here — challenging violence (the bath house scene is perhaps his most brutally accomplished yet), a few bone-chilling sex scenes — but it never adds up to a cohesive whole or a significant entry into his impressive canon. I for one was excited about Cronenberg’s second foray into the crime genre — but instead of a sharp and consistently grim psychological thriller (A History of Violence), we’re given dime-store Scorsese.
The very worst part is just how damn sentimental it is. Naomi Watts’ character is completely underwritten, and her “we must save the baby!” plot could have just as easily been another side of Viggo Mortensen’s character. Now that reminds me: Viggo is excellent. He’s scary, he’s funny, he’s even finally noble — and most of all he’s convincing (Vincent Cassel on the other hand sounds like a French person doing a Schwarzeneggar impression). All in all this is surely a stumble in Cronenberg’s hot streak, but its heartening to see that he ’s still a wizard with those icky effects (and making them mean something, cough.. cough… Quentin.. cough..) and lets hope that he’s found a grisly new muse in Mr. Mortensen.
Rating: 6/10
While I agree with your assertions that EP isn’t a landmark film in Cronenberg’s cannon, I think you’re underestimating the authorial stamp he puts on it. From the color scheme alone, it’s evident that the film is directed by Cronenberg. The fact that it’s fairly taut and effective in moving the story is a nod to his skills as a director as well; I could easily see that script being stretched into some 2 hour abomination. All in all it just comforts me to know that no matter what, at least we’ll have Cronenberg putting out something decent. Here’s to hoping that he and Viggo have a nice, long collaboration.
EP as a Cronenberg movie: I agree with the color scheme but only in the restaurant scenes — other than that the movie is reasonably claustrophobic but it wasn’t as overbearing as Dead Ringers or even Spider. I’m also not really sure when a taut, effective thriller became a sign of vintage Cronenberg — Scanners was an economic thriller I suppose, but who really watched that movie for the plot? Decent, OK — but remember when this guy used to get under your skin?