To solve a riddle older than the Sphinx. To answer the question which has plagued us since we first crawled from this Earth and stood erect in the sun. Is man, indeed, a walrus at heart? Its difficult to know what to make of Kevin Smiths new lease of life as a filmmaker. On the one hand, since 2011s Red State, Smith seems to be far more invested in the process of filmmaking, and (the announcement of Mallrats 2 and Clerks 3 aside), is making more varied and interesting films these days. On the other hand, his reach consistently outstrips his grasp. After a career comprising eleven movies over twenty-one years to date, hes still not much more than a competent storyteller and director, his strengths lying very much in his idiosyncratic dialogue and gift for arch, profane comedy. Tusk is a little different, though. Its by no means a perfect film (hes never made one thats come close), but its stylish, irreverent and horrifying by turns, with hints of genuine greatness. Im not going to spoil the concept, for those of you who havent heard of it, but its been compared favourably to a grotesque cross between Misery and The Human Centipede (although its not as scary as the former, not as disgusting as the latter, and more interesting than both). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCQJnOn0ru0 The plot centres around obnoxious podcast host Wallace, who delights in interviewing people for their stories, which he pulls apart viciously on his show. Travelling to a remote part of Canada, he finds his chosen subject has already killed himself, and is then persuaded to speak to retired sailor Howard Howe who drugs him and amputates his left leg. What follows is not for the faint of heart. Smith cleverly cuts between Wallaces horrific situation and flashbacks detailing his past as a complete douchecanoe, but its debatable whether anyone could be considered to deserve what happens to him. Michael Park, a fantastic character actor with a long and accomplished CV going back fifty years, delivers his best ever performance in this film as the psychopathic Howe, and Justin Long isnt far behind as Wallace. The ending to Tusk may be a little less subtle than youd like, but by this point (if youve gotten this far) youll be willing to forgive Smith for falling back on his usual hamfisted approach to filmmaking a little: hes created a bizarre, funny, horrible little gem of a film thats completely unlike anything hes ever attempted before.
Professional writer, punk werewolf and nesting place for starfish. Obsessed with squid, spirals and story. I publish short weird fiction online at desincarne.com, and tweet nonsense under the name Jack The Bodiless. You can follow me all you like, just don't touch my stuff.
