(Movie Review) Get Out - A Thrilling Ride Through Our Terrifying Reality

Get Out (2017)

Horror, Thriller

Directed By: Jordan Peele

When news first got to me that Jordan Peele, of Key & Peele fame, was going to write and direct a horror movie as his filmmaking debut, I couldn't have been more excited. For starters, anyone who follows Mr. Peele close enough knows that this guy is a die-hard fan of the genre and anything he does within it is going to be handled with absolute care and love. Secondly, if you are familiar with the work he and Keegan Michael-Key did on their show, you are aware that he has a cinematic eye. Their show was far better staged than it had any right to be so the transition for him from TV to film only feels natural.

Coming out of the gate hot as hell, Peele uses his first film to tell a story as old as time and as relevant as it has ever been in 2017. It's the story of a young, black man going with his white girlfriend to meet her suburban bound parents. A situation we have seen played out in countless sitcoms and bad comedies (and that I'm sure some of you have lived yourselves) is used as the perfect tool to tell a tight, stress inducing thriller that just so happens to be a bitter reflection of our own reality. 

Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) and his girlfriend Rose (Allison Williams) have finally hit the point in their relationship where Chris gets to meet her parents. Though Allison assures him that they are as liberal and as welcoming as can be, Chris knows better than to take her word for it. From the moment they arrive in her parent's small suburban town he knows something isn't quite right. It's not the lack of other black people in the community, it's that the few others around him are acting peculiar, to say the least. What he comes to find by the end of his weekend trip is more twisted and terrifying than anything he could have imagined. 

The less knowledge about the plot of this film you know beforehand, the more rewarded you will be by its outcome. The film winds its way down a road full of twists and turns, each one more fulfilling than the last, but not every twist is monumental, and some are even a bit predictable. It's the way they all come together that makes for a truly original piece of horror cinema. 

Jordan Peele's script for Get Out is one of the most impressive I have seen, not just in the genre but in all of film, in some time. He didn't only craft a thrilling horror flick, he also used the story to bring to light a lot of issues we are currently facing as a society. The way he depicts casual, almost unconscious racism in Allison's parents and their friends is so incredibly real it is sure to make you squirm. It is clear beyond a doubt that Mr. Peele has himself been in situations like these numerous times in his life. 

You can see this even in the way he shoots the film, how he switches between wide shots and close-ups to convey the energy being passed between the two parties. For example, when they show the first meeting between Chris and the parents, he chooses to show it from a wide angle showing off the suburban facade these people have created around them. It also plays up the meaninglessness of how her parents would present themselves in that first encounter. Suburban racism doesn't show itself right away, in fact, they will hide it and play up their "liberalism" as long as possible, which is something we see clearly in this shot as Dean, played brilliantly by Bradley Whitford, gives Chris a giant man hug the minute he walks up to the door, playing up their facade that much more.  

The social satire described above would make a highly interesting film in its own right, so for it to be just a part of a masterfully crafted horror-thriller like this is something truly special. The uncomfortable paranoia caused by this casual racism sets the perfect backdrop for a heart-pounding thrill ride. With every interaction he has with the neighbors, the more anxious we as an audience grow. We all know something terrible is going to happen from the start, it's just a matter of when and what will happen, and trust me, you won't see the final twist coming. 

What took me most about this film was how real everything felt, from his relationship with Allison in the beginning of the film to each and every one of the interactions he has with the white folk over that weekend. This script comes from a place of experience, it's obvious Peele has had almost these exact conversations with self-proclaimed "woke" white people and the way he crafts them into his narrative is a thing of beauty. 

If you are doubting this movie, or have pre-conceived notions due to Peel's background in comedy throw all of that crap out of the door. Anyone who knows anything about horror and comedy knows that the two are far more similar than most would think. Both are almost entirely predicated on timing, to pull off a good joke or a good scare it's all about timing. A second too long or too short and the moment is lost and we all know Peele has incredible comedic timing, Get Out proves he can translate it over to horror without even batting an eye. 

That being said, his comedic touch is not lost on this film as it hits some big laughs at the right moments. Chris' best friend Rod (Lil Rey Howery), who he has selective contact with throughout the movie, provides the film with some wonderful comedic relief. Rod calls in to check up at all the right moments and is often saying exactly what we as an audience are thinking. What makes him a great addition to the movie though is that he isn't just there for laughs, his character of an overconfident TSA agent works his way into the story in some really fun ways and becomes an integral part of the overall arc.  

Rod is one of many incredible side performances highlighting just one more thing Peele nailed in his first go-around behind the camera. He managed to pull stunning performances from everyone in the cast. Kaluuya and Williams are fantastic in the leads and Bradley Whitford and Catherine Keener bring their best as they always do as Allison's mysterious parents. Betty Gabriel, Lakeith Stanfield, Lil Rey Howery, and Caleb Landry Jones round out a stellar supporting cast, all giving knock-out performances. Especially Betty Gabriel as the housemaid, she delivers most of the films creepiest, and downright unnerving moments. 

This isn't only impressive as a debut film, this is a damn good movie by any standards and we should look forward to many more flicks from the wonderfully twisted mind of Jordan Peele in the near future. I'm looking for a bad thing to say about Get Out and I simply cannot find it. I was never bored, I was most certainly always engaged, and the hook totally took me by surprise. Fans are always crying for fresh, original takes on the genre and you couldn't ask for a better example of that than this. Get out to the theater this weekend and let's make this movie a bonafide hit. 

As always, thanks for reading and I am Zach Who Watches Movies. You can find me anytime on Twitter @ZachWWMovies, smell ya later!

(Movie Review) John Wick: Chapter 2 - Welcome Back to The Continental

John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017)

Action, Crime, Thriller

Directed By: Chad Stahelski

As movie fans, whenever we hear the word "sequel" we can't help but assume the law of diminishing returns would take effect. Yeah, there is the rare, great sequel that matches or even outdoes its predecessor, but they are few and far between. The thing about John Wick, however, is that it had laid down a rich, yet lightly touched upon mythology that us diehard fans simply wanted to know more about and that could easily be built upon in future films. Our thirst to learn more about The Continental and the management who runs it became as large as our desire to see Wick popping more headshots. 

Two years later, writer Derek Kolstad, director Chad Stahelski, and star Keanu Reeves are all back to tell the next chapter in John Wick's tale. Picking up shortly after the first movie ends, Mr. Wick finds himself being drawn right back into the world he has been trying his best to retire from. A dark figure from his past re-emerges to cash in on a debt owed to him from long ago and he has no choice but to once again pick up his guns and do what he does best, kill. The mission isn't so cut and dry though and in true John Wick fashion, it leads to a hefty price being put on his head. 

John Wick: Chapter 2 is the rare sequel that succeeds on every level it needs to, whether you are a fan who enjoyed the original just for the insane "gun-fu" action then there is plenty for you to go crazy for in this new story. From the opening scene to the last Wick is relentlessly kicking more ass than you can imagine and the ways in which he is doing it are stunning. Director/choreographer/stunt-man Chad Stahelski and his now long-time collaborator Keanu Reeves have crafted stunningly gorgeous action sequences that stand apart from most anything you've seen before. It's game changing for American action films and we are sure to see countless rip-offs in the near future. 

Watching this new movie I couldn't help but relate the structure of the action sequences, and even major parts of the story, back to classic first-person-shooter video games. Much like in those games, John Wick is, in a way, going through different levels, with each becoming gradually harder. After every couple, he finds himself in a higher stakes fight with a "boss" character that has a greater chance of defeating him and usually leaving him with physical damage. This just furthers my theory that the best "video game movies" will always be the ones not based on any game at all, but on original ideas like these. 

Through two movies they have also adopted a distinct aesthetic using bold lighting, booming music, and a vibrant color palette. The hyper-stylized design of the film helps us to open up our minds to the some of the wackier and more unbelievable aspects of this world. Take the club scene from the first film for example. You aren't so concerned with the collateral damage of him murdering two dozen men in cold blood while you are being visually assaulted by vibrant teal neons and booming electric music.

What makes this second chapter truly great though is the furthering of the fascinating mythology from the original. For the fans who saw John Wick as something truly special because of the fantasy world it created, this movie has so much for you to love. They don't just go back to The Continental and reintroduce us to management, they introduce us to entirely new sides of the world we had no idea existed. Whether it be little things, like the Hotels "sommelier", or major things, like the strict rules management has put in place ad how they affect them all, they are constantly giving us new nuggets to chew on.

The addition of all of this extra information and mythology is not without its costs, though. In order to take us deeper into this world they, at times, have to sacrifice interesting characters to populate the world around Wick. The addition of Common and Laurence Fishburne is great but even so, I felt none of the new characters had an impact as big as Alfie Allens "Iosef" or Michael Nyqvist's "Viggo". The closest I felt the film came to a truly memorable new character was Peter Stormare as Viggo's brother Abram, but he sadly barely has any screen time in the movie. 

This is a minor quibble for me as plenty of the original cast of characters reprise their roles from the first film. Aside from Keanu returning in the title role, side characters like Ian McShane's Winston and Lance Reddick's Charon are back to ease us into the world of assassins we fell so deep in love with the first time around, both bringing their A-game as usual.  I believe it goes without saying that Mr. Reeves is more than stellar reprising the title role and I for one could watch him in this role for another five movies. 

Is Chapter 2 better than the original? Who Knows, and really, who cares? Both are phenomenal hard-R-rated action movies that deliver on both carnage and story. The creators of this new franchise know exactly what they want out of it and are delivering it to us in a near flawless way. These movies may not be for everyone but for those who find their kicks in watching Keanu Reeves break skulls than this is sure to dominate your weekend/month/year/life, bring on chapter 3.  

As always, thanks for reading and I am Zach Who Watches Movies. You can find em anytime on twitter @ZachWWMovies, smell ya later!