Shudder Saturday: Random Acts Of Violence (2019)

I like Jay Baruchel. A lot. He's predominantly been in comedy movies for most of his film career, but the past decade has seen him stretch himself a bit, mainly with his writing and directing work on the Goon movies (he wrote the first movie, directed the second, gave himself a small role in both). And he's had good results. Which had me looking forward to Random Acts Of Violence, a thriller/horror movie directed and co-written by Baruchel, who also has a main supporting role, based on a comic by Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti.

The story is all about a comic creator, Todd (Jesse Williams), who has made his name with the creation of a murderous character, Slasherman, based on a real-life killer. On a press tour with his publisher (Ezra, played by Baruchel), his girlfriend (Kathy, played by Jordana Brewster), and an assistant (Aurora, played by Niamh Wilson), Todd ends up being contacted, and toyed with, by someone emulating some of the more grisly murders that have been drawn by Todd.

If the opening paragraph to this review didn't give you a clue, Random Acts Of Violence ended up being a bit of a disappointment for me. It's not a bad film, not really, but the more interesting elements are badly mishandled, which I have to sadly blame Baruchel for, and that leaves viewers with nothing more than a mediocre thriller akin to many we have seen before, putting someone in dangerous proximity to a killer they have a connection with, and a finale that is about as weak as any I can think of from recent years (perhaps deliberate, but I doubt it).

The screenplay, by Baruchel and Jesse Chabot, stumbles along for the first half, but at least has a great confrontational scene that crystallises the main thinking point. Todd is being interviewed on a radio show, and that interview turns to how much he has considered the victims of the murderer that inspired his fictional creation. Some also point out that Todd isn't saying anything with his content. He's just depicting violent deaths, mostly involving women, and cannot come up with a proper ending to his story because he ultimately has nothing to say.

The cast do a decent job. Williams is excellent in the lead role, a good mix of ambition and insecurity, and Brewster has her best role in god knows how long, especially when she tries to call out what she sees as ever-increasing bullshit. Baruchel is arguably the odd one out, and has the least to do, but the reason for him casting himself is obvious, in terms of budget, resources, and being able to use his name on a number of fronts. Wilson is a nice enough addition, completing the central quartet with the kind of character you start to like most while also knowing they may be the most in danger.

The worst thing about Random Acts Of Violence is the lack of consistency. There are some great visual flourishes. Here and there. You get some interest musings on what those who create horror fare may or may not wish to consider. Here and there. You get some commentary on horrors creating art that creates more horror. Here and there. There's no solid through line though, and the third act is almost unforgivably poor.

I hope to enjoy whatever Baruchel does next a bit more than this, which I am generously rating as average.

5/10

https://ko-fi.com/kevinmatthews

Goon: Last Of The Enforcers (2017)

I liked Goon. It was a sweet film that happened to also feature a lot of bone-crunching violence, and it featured a superb central performance from Seann William Scott. Goon: Last Of The Enforcers is, although some (many?) may disagree, a superior sequel.

It's been a while since we last saw Doug Glatt (Scott). He's grown older but not that much wiser, although now nice and settled at home with Eva (Alison Pill), still putting up with the drunken antics of his friend Pat (Jay Baruchel), and still taking a hell of a beating out on the ice, when he needs to. Things come to a head when he is set upon by a vicious player named Anders Cain (Wyatt Russell), leading him to try and leave hockey behind for the sake of his health and Eva's peace of mind.

As well as returning to the role of Pat, Baruchel also co-wrote the script with Jesse Chabot. Obviously wanting to heap a bit more onto his plate, Baruchel has decided to make this his feature directorial debut, which makes sense considering how well he seems to know the characters and small world created in the first film. He certainly does a better job behind the camera than he does in front of it. It's been a while since I watched the first film but I can't recall his character being quite so idiotic, although I could be wrong.

Scott continues to make the most of the opportunity that this lead role affords him. He's dim, but not a complete idiot, and he does get a chance to grow somewhat. Russell is a great addition to the roster of characters, showing almost a mirror universe version of Doug. He's a man who wants to spill blood and break bones, his passion is for the fight ahead of the game or the team, and he's genuinely confused when others don't seem to approach the sport with the same attitude. Liev Schreiber returns, as Ross Rhea, and once again proves to be an excellent illustration of what Doug may potentially have lying ahead of him. Pill does well with her relatively thankless role (as ultimately understanding as she is, I am sure some will view her as just the moaning wife), and Kim Coates and Callum Keith Rennie stand out as two men who want to run the ice hockey team two very different ways.

Although it runs through just as many sports movie cliches as the first film, Goon: Last Of The Enforcers at least uses a new bag of old tricks (if that makes sense). There are a couple of mis-steps - with the main ones being the waste of Baruchel in the actual acting department, and the equal waste of Elisha Cuthbert in a small role - but those aren't significant enough to stop this from being a perfect follow-up to a film that I never would have considered in need of a sequel.

8/10

Pick it up on DVD for a bargain price here.
Or, in America, get it the bluray here.