Red
All of the sudden, it seems like it’s Jack Ketchum adaptation season.
With cinematic versions of his novels The Girl Next Door (excellent) and The Lost (not so excellent) already available, and productions of his classic hillbilly cannibal books Off Season and Off Spring on the horizon, it’s as if the filmmaking community has finally discovered one of horror fiction’s best kept secrets. The latest Ketchum offering to make the jump from the page to the silver screen is Red-which may be the best film based on the author’s work to date.
Brian Cox plays Avery Ludlow, an aging veteran living in a small town. Ludlow is haunted by tragedy (he lost his family) and his only real companion is a dog named Red. Ludlow and his dog spend most of their days fishing, but a chance encounter with some delinquent teenagers (led by the impressive Noel Fisher) ends with Red dead and Ludlow on a mission to avenge the death of his one true friend.
If you expect that this mission of vengeance will play out like a 1970′s grindhouse flick, you’re in for a disappointment. Ludlow goes about his business in the way we’re all supposed to. He talks to father of two of the boys (played by an almost unrecognizable Tom Sizemore). When that fails, he gets a lawyer. When the authorities won’t prosecute the case, he meets up with a news reporter (Kim Dickens) who wants to tell his story. Unfortunately, all this does is create more problems-and soon enough, Ludlow finds himself squaring off against Sizemore and Fisher in a showdown that seems preordained from the film’s opening moments, but resonates far more deeply than one might imagine when everything’s said and done.
Adapted for the screen by Stephen Susco, Red is a surprisingly deep and nuanced film. Rather than craft a simple tale of a wronged man seeking revenge, Susco digs deep into the subtext and subplots that were so prevalent in the source material. Sure, Fisher’s Danny character and Sizemore are relatively two-dimensional bad guys, but the struggle of Avery and the revelations uncovered in the aftermath of his quest are surprisingly philosophical. Susco has brought Ketchum’s novel to life, while improving upon it in the process (the film eliminates some elements of the novel and is stronger for it). It’s a textbook quality example of how to adapt a novel to the big screen.
Yet, for as good as the screenplay is, the real engine driving Red is the masterful performance of Brian Cox. I’ve long championed Cox as one of the best actors working today who isn’t a superstar. His portrayal of Hannibal Lector in Michael Mann’s Manhunter is actually better than any of Anthony Hokins’ subsequent portrayals of the character (Cox’s take on the character is more primal and fearsome without the campiness of the Hopkins version). Cox has long been a character actor, but it’s nice to see him carrying a production for a change-if for no other reason than because it proves what I’ve been saying for years…the man can flat out act.
With Avery Ludlow Cox has created a tragic character who we root for despite the fact that he has a few moral flaws. The scene wherein he describes the tragic end of his own family is powerful and heart-wrenching. Scenes where he confronts Sizemore or Fisher are believable yet still filled with a palpable sense of menace. Even the ending, wherein Cox’s character finally arcs-learning that his quest might have seemed noble but was not without foreseeable repercussions, feels all the more powerful because of the way Cox plays it. It’s a fantastic performance that deserves recognition from a much wider audience.
The rest of the cast may not reach the level of Cox’s performance, but they’re still very good. It’s nice to have Sizemore back-he has a genuine penchant for playing sleazy characters (he reminds me of a mainstream David Hess). Fisher, Kyle Gallner, and Shiloh Fernandez take the relatively clichéd roles of young hoodlums (and the sensitive and repentant younger brother) and make them seem more real than you’d imagine. Fisher and Gallner in particular turn in strong performances. Finally, yes, that’s Ashley Laurence of Hellraiser fame as Sizemore’s wife.
Visually, Red has an arresting look thanks to director Lucky McKee. The scene compositions are crisp and the occasional red transitions between sequences are a nice touch. McKee was actually removed from the project near the end of filming (he was replaced by Tryqve Allister Diesen, who shares the director’s credit on the film), but this is certainly his film.
Red may not be exploitation flick people seem to expect going into it, but that doesn’t mean it’s a waste of time. Ketchum’s novel makes for a compelling cinematic experience despite the fact that like most of Ketchum’s work, the horror comes not from ghosts, monsters, or zombies, but instead the dark corners of the human heart. It’s been beautifully adapted to the big screen by a film crew who knew what they were doing and an actor who literally becomes the character. I loved The Girl Next Door and am eagerly anticipating Off Season, but I have a hard time imagining how any Ketchum adaptation could be better than this one.
Horror Geek Rating: 5 out of 5
Tags: Brian Cox, Film Reviews, Jack Ketchum, Lucky McKee, Red, Tom Sizemore
October 30th, 2008 at 5:52 pm
Superb Review!!
I reviewed this myself, just the other day – I am glad to see that others are aware of the film!
November 6th, 2008 at 6:58 am
I have to say this is one of the best films I’ve been suprised by all year. I’ve read Ketchum and seen some of the movies based on his novels but something about the quiet nature of the plot sucked me into the story. That and Brian Cox who’s monologue to Kim Dickens in the middle of the movie was one of the best scenes of any film I’ve seen this year in my opinion.
November 6th, 2008 at 7:30 am
Yeah, it’s a great monologue. Not quite as good as the Robert Shaw one in Jaws, but it’s up there.