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Written by Based on a Starring Presented by 90 minutes |
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STUCK
Review After watching STUCK and seeing what Thomas Bardo (Stephen Rea) goes through over the course of the film, I will never complain about a bad day ever again. STUCK is the latest from Stuart Gordon, who in recent years has made some of the most brutal, realistic horror films seen on film yet, based on the pure ugliness of the human emotion when put into an extreme situation of life and death. This film is no exception, with the centerpiece being a terryfing accident. Thomas Bardo (Oscar nominee Stephen Rea in one of the best performances of the year) is having the mother of bad days; he’s been kicked out of his apartment, his supposed job interview goes badly, and he’s forced out on the street. For Brandi (a cornrowed Mena Suvari), it’s been one of her best; she’s been looked at for a promotion at her job working as an assisted nurse for elderly patients and she decides to celebrate by partying. After some hits of Ecstasy and a tryst with her dealer lover Rashid (Russell Hornsby), Brandi drives home in the middle of the night. With too much drugs and booze, and more focused on her cell phone, Brandi hits Tom with her car, which sends Tom flying into her windshield and finds his upper body stuck through the windshield. The panicked Brandi does drive to a hospital, but then makes the fateful decision to drive the car home and leave Tom stuck in the windshield, heavily lacerated and bleeding, to die, while she goes to work the next day in hopes of getting the promotion. I don’t think I ever felt sympathy towards a character than I did for Tom, and that’s mainly due in part to Stephen Rea, who gives such an extraordinary performance. The first act of the film is a perfect juxtaposition of Tom’s bad day with Brandi’s good day and on Tom’s side, Rea presents such a frustrated sense of reason that it’s hard not to feel bad for him. He can’t even rest for a moment at a park bench without being hassled by a cop (even while in a shirt and tie). For the next two acts, it is why Tom is so determined to live through this after everything he’s been through that makes him a great protagonist. On the flipside, Mena Suvari is excellent as the self-centered Brandi, who at first glance is a caring nurse in an elderly hospital, but quickly puts her selfish needs ahead of a dying man, even going so far as to blame him for the accident. Suvari is also credited as associate producer and it’s understandable as it’s one of her best roles to date. She really has become a new queen of the independent movies, and here’s hoping she sticks to more genre roles. The only other major character is Rashid, whom Brandi enlists his aid in getting rid of Tom, and Russell Hornsby is very good as the manipulative character, making you wonder if he’s the reason why Brandi flies off the handle so quickly. Gordon is a rarity in horror, as he keeps on getting better with age. I will get shot for saying this, but I prefer his recent films over his earlier works (even though I consider RE-ANIMATOR a classic). Gordon knows how to tap into your darkest emotions and brings such a gritty realism to his films that you can’t believe what you’re seeing yet you can’t help but look, oddly like a car crash. The screenplay by John Strysik, based on a true story, is top notch, and has some serious (and humorous) social and political undertones. The film’s final act is tremendous as Tom begins to regain some of his strength, and brings forth a shocking yet fitting denouement to a great film. In all, STUCK is a great horror film by one of horror’s finest directors in one of his best films. It is a perfect exercise in constructing horror with thought out characters and situations based on incidents that can take seconds to change your life. The fact that this is based on a true story makes it all the more surreal, but STUCK is destined to become an independent cult classic. This film is definitely not to be missed. STUCK: 9 Out Of 10 Maggots CLICK HERE FOR AN INTERVIEW WITH DIRECTOR STUART GORDON!
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