Streaming
Services: Shudder
Movie
Name/Year: Random
Acts of Violence (2020)
Genre: Horror
Length: 81 minutes
Rating: NR
Production/Distribution: Elevation Pictures, Manis
Film, Kickstart Productions, Image Comics, JoBro Productions & Film Finance,
Trinity Media Financing, Shudder
Director: Jay Baruchel
Writer: Jay Baruchel, Jesse Chabot,
Justin Gray, Jimmy Palmiotti
Actors: Jesse Williams, Jordana
Brewster, Jay Baruchel, Simon Northwood, Niamh Wilson, Isaiah Rockcliffe, Clark
Backo, Victoria Snow, Eric Osborne, Nia Roam, Aviva Mongillo, Wade MacNeil, Amir
Sám Nakhjavani
Blurb
from IMDb: A
pair of comic book writers begin to notice scary similarities between the
character they created and horrific real-life events.
Selina’s
Point of View:
When
I was researching the Top 20 for this month, the trailer for Random Acts of
Violence came up. I mentioned thinking that it would follow the well-known
recipe we see all the time in cop dramas that feature a horror/mystery writer
in a protagonist position. You know, the one where the fan of the writer brings
the murders in the book to life.
Now,
there was some of that in there, but there was a lot more to it than that. The
trailer did a very good job of hiding the real plot from us.
Every
time you think it’s going to stick to a recipe, it changes. At various points
it’s about the fan-killer, a slasher, morality, even psychology. On top of
that, there’s rarely any down-time. I was absorbed from about the 5-minute
mark.
Even
if I didn’t already know this was a passion project for Jay Baruchel (This is the End, Lovesick, The
Kindness of Strangers), I’d
have guessed. When a talented creator really works from the heart, it’s woven
into every moment, and Baruchel is insanely talented.
I
thought it would feel like something from Criminal Minds (2005-2020) or Castle
(2009-2016), but by the end of it I felt the message reminded me more of Se7en
(1995). I can’t really get into it without spoilers, so I’ll just say that I
think people will understand once they’ve seen it.
Bottom-line,
I really liked Random Acts of Violence. I think everyone involved pulled
it off spectacularly. It wasn’t perfect, but I can absolutely see it becoming a
cult favorite.
Cat’s
Point of View:
The first word
that comes to mind when I think back over my experience with Random Acts of
Violence is: intense. I could easily follow that up with brutal and even
trope-smashing.
I’ve seen a lot
of slasher movies. This one took the genre in an unexpected and new direction.
I’m probably going to need to watch something lighthearted and fluffy before
I’ll be able to sleep tonight.
Jay Baruchel certainly
didn’t hold anything back when he penned this macabre tale.
There were only a
couple of things about the movie that bugged me. The flashbacks were a bit
confusing at first but it didn’t take long to figure out why they were
necessary. I did appreciate how they tied in the graphic novel aspect with the
story. The other bit that didn’t make sense to me would, unfortunately, include
a spoiler.
Plenty was great
about the film, though. I loved that the production leaned on tried-and-true practical
effects; which were, for the most part, well-executed. (I’m really not trying
to pun here!) The cast, for the most part, were also pretty spot-on. I got a
kick out of seeing Niamh Wilson (Hemlock Grove, Maps to the Stars, Giant
Little Ones) as the assistant, considering she was in several of the Saw
(2004) franchise movies.
I found the
dynamic between Jesse Williams’ (Lee Daniels' The Butler, They Die by Dawn,
Selah and the Spades) and Jordana Brewster’s (Annapolis, American Heist,
Lethal Weapon) characters interesting and believable.
I feel that they
were a little bonkers for setting upon the path that ultimately led to their
demise – but then, in horror movies, the characters rarely make good decisions.
Random
Acts of Violence was
raw and bloody, laced with profanity, and lived up to its name. If you’re a fan
of the slasher genre, I’d say it’s worth the Shudder subscription to check this
movie out.
Rotten
Tomatoes Critic Score – 66%
Rotten
Tomatoes Audience Score – None
Metascore – 33/100
Metacritic
User Score – None
IMDB
Score – 4.9/10
Trust
the Dice: Selina’s Rating – 4/5
Trust
the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 3.5/5
Trust the Dice Parental Advisory Rating: R
Movie
Trailer:
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