Super: CR #17

Good to be back from vacation...not really. Yes I missed last week due to an awesome family vacation. But I'm back, and ready to review a movie that has nothing to do with Earth Day. But this is a movie I have been interested in seeing. Was it what I expected? Find out below in my review of...

  Let's Begin

PLOT

Frank D'Arbo is not the luckiest or sane guy. Frank grew up rejected and with an obvious screw loose. But he does somehow manage to marry a recovering drug-addict, Sarah. But she is soon "kidnapped" (lured away more than anything) by Jacques, a very smooth drug dealer. Frank now has no one and is more alone than ever. But after watching some ridiculous Christian hero, "The Holy Avenger", he sees a crazy vision that convinces him that he needs to fight evil. How? With a ridiculous costume and wrench of course. He starts beating "EVIL" to near death and even gains a sidekick in the even more insane Libby, who only encourages the senseless violence.

PROS

Rainn Wilson is great as Frank. He especially shines in the praying scenes, which seem funny at first, but quickly turn into star-making drama. He's also good at showing the "crazy" in the character.

You have sympathy for Frank. I don't know how, but James Gunn gets us to care for an insane killer. He is crazy and yet he has a code he abides by, think Dexter but socially unstable. It really kept my interest in the film.

The movie is very realistic. Now the closest thing you can compare this to is "Kick-Ass", which is over the top and wacky. This is not wacky. This is a dark movie where almost everything that would happen to crazy people going on a seemingly senseless rampage, happens. Except, of course, the cops arresting them with the piles of evidence and witnesses they had on hand.

The last 30 minutes of the movie are where the seriously dark stuff happens, and it was loosing me. Until the ending. The ending is very bitter-sweet, more bitter than anything. It made up for the disturbing kills and character development because it had a point to it. While most may not like how lack-luster the ending is, I thought it was a bold and impressive move on James Gunn's part.

CONS

The movie has a huge tone change before the bloody finale (the last 30 min.) It happens during a very disturbing and awkward scene that made me squirm in my seat. At that point, like I mentioned earlier, it started to loose me. It had the same problem has "Hobo With a Shotgun", it went way too far.

CONCLUSION

Now it may seem that I love this movie, seeing as how I only have 1 Con. But that tone change really did affect my enjoyment of the movie. While, yes, the ending makes up for it, it still doesn't make it less disturbing. But don't be fooled, everything before and after the finale is worth seeing. It's more of a dark-comedy that really is funny. I still really enjoyed this movie, and wouldn't mind seeing it again, it's just too dark for me to see it more than twice. If this interest you, by all means see it. But a fair warning, you are not prepared for how dark it is.

RATING

RENTABLE.