Longlegs
review by Bobby Blakey
I love horror and thrillers that take changes and just a little bit out there. Not all of them work, but some come along and swing so wide you can’t help but hear their voice. The latest film that has been getting a lot of buzz is writer/director Oz Perkins thriller Longlegs starring Maika Monroe, Blair Underwood, Alicia Witt and an unrecognizable Nicolas Cage. Could this film live up to the disturbing hype it’s been getting, or will it fail to possess audiences?
Longlegs follows FBI Agent Lee Harker is a gifted recruit assigned to the unsolved case of an elusive serial killer. As the case takes complex turns, unearthing evidence of the occult, Harker discovers a personal connection to the merciless killer and must race against time to stop him before he claims the lives of another innocent family.
The promotions for this film have been so great from the usual posters and trailers to the most excellent clip allowing you to hear Monroe’s heartbeat the first time she saw Cage on set. Through it all they kept Cage’s look out of all the promotions as it is a direct reveal in the film and something that most films ruin during promotion. I will say the build up and reveal is most excellent and nothing as I had expected.
The movie isn’t really a horror film as I had expected, but more of a crime thriller that is all kinds of creepy thanks to the over-the-top brilliant performance of Cage. He is unrecognizable and completely unhinged in the best way possible. He doesn’t have a ton of screen time, but when he is there, he takes hold of every word and mannerism to create a character that just makes you uncomfortable.
​
Monroe is carrying the heaviest of burdens as the film’s lead and brings her own awkward uncomfortable feel to the role. She clearly possesses some sort of skill in figuring out this mystery, but also has her own issues both mentally and in life. Throughout the entire film she seems uncomfortable in any situation as if she might be on the spectrum but is never addressed outside of the reveals in the story itself. These kind of explain some, but also just leaves it what it is.
This is a slow burn film that will not work for everyone. It often feels like a mundane direction with no finish line, but it all has a place to go. It also takes a turn in the last act that might lose some people further due to it kind of leaving the realism aspect. I dug this element and the bravery of the filmmaker to go all in even though I would have liked a more grounded reasoning to all the violence.
I loved this film in all its dry, slow, disturbed nature and everything it says. I know it will divide some who will hate it all around and others that will see its art brilliance. No matter what there is no denying that this is another brilliant notch in Cage’s filmography that hope gets all the attention and accolades that it deserves.
In a world of remakes and sequels this is something bizarre, fresh and all around great that deserves to be seen. Decide for yourself an check out Longlegs when it hits 4K, Blu-ray and DVD on September 10th from NEON.
