This brilliant neo-noir movie is not going to be to everyone's taste, but for those of you who crack it, you're going to absolutely love it!A hybrid affair which mixes the effortless cool of the high school teen movie with the cruel sadism of film noir, the story focuses on Brendan and his search for AWOL ex-, Emily. That he will find her brutally murdered in a drainage ditch, we already know from the film's opening moments. But it is the story of Brendan's search and subsequent trail of vengeance that glues the story together and keeps you watching.
Peopled with some wonderful characters, all with monosyllabic names like Brain, Tug and The Pin, what really marks this film out as something special is the way in which it is told. Despite being set in modern day California, the characters speak in a kind of hard-boiled detective fictional slang. It's like Napoleon Dynamite got mixed up with Philip Marlowe and works to place you in the film's world (rather like the teen speak of the Droogs in A Clockwork Orange).
Plotwise you'll really need to keep on your toes. Miss one important clue and you'll be lost forever. This film makes no concessions and expects you to work hard for your pay-off. Not since The Usual Suspects has a film played with its audience and demanded so much of them.
If you liked the original cut of Donnie Darko or you've discovered the twisted world of David Lynch (Twin Peaks is clearly an influence here) or you're a bit tired of the same old, same old, I recommend you give this one a try.
Mr Mudd
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