Studio: Decal Releasing/Neon
Release Date: 9/24/2024
Rating: R
Film Grade: C
The Story: It’s the 1990s, and FBI agents begin combing the city, looking for clues for a suspected serial killer before he can strike again. Since 1966, there have been a series of ten murderous events in the area, all with a specific set of odd conditions: the families have a young daughter with a birthday on the 14th of any given month, there are no signs of forced entry, the fathers killed the family members, and a coded letter is left behind signed with a single name - Longlegs. One of those agents is Lee Harker, who demonstrates remarkable intuition when it comes to this case.
My Take: Writer/director Osgood Perkins (son of Psycho star, Anthony) makes no bones about taking inspiration from Silence of the Lambs and Se7en. While it’s admirable to look to such great examples, it risks comparison to them, and this movie doesn’t stack up well.
There’s a series of coded letters that are simple cyphers, it’s amazing that they hadn’t been decoded long before Agent Harker arrives on the case. A pattern in the data looks like happenstance. Important details are kept from both the audience and Harker for no apparent reason other than to keep the viewers from outguessing the film’s conclusion. The investigation portion is shallow, and the mystery, once revealed, is lacking in substance and a letdown.
On the plus side, the acting is quite good. Maika Monroe plays Harker with a combination of social awkwardness and remarkable insight that could be off-putting, but slowly makes her sympathetic to the audience. Her boss is played by Blair Underwood, who’s a straightforward, old-style lawman, who isn’t particularly well-suited for this case, but who sees Harker’s talent as the key to finally cracking it. Nicolas Cage is unhinged as Longlegs, completely letting his freak flag fly, looking like a cross between the late Tiny Tim and plastic surgery addict Jocelyn Wildenstein. While he’s good in the role, those expecting to see a lot of him will be disappointed, as his screentime is limited. Most of his actions take place off screen, with the viewers left with seeing the results.
The pacing is also solid. The flashbacks woven into the story aren’t overly long and used effectively. The movie never drags and keeps viewers on the edge of their seats as the story unfolds.
Visuals: This one is made for fans of shifting aspect ratios. Flashback scenes are filmed in 4:3, with rounded corners, while later events are shot at 2:39:1. The disc makes a compromise between the two and formats and frames both of them in 1.85:1, so you’re going to be stuck with black bars for much of the feature. If you mask it to 2:39:1, you risk cutting off some of the faces for those flashback scenes. Full bias reveal here: I’m not a fan of shifting aspect ratios and would love to see that fad disappear.
The look of the film is dreary and dark, matching the tone of the film. Colors are mostly dull and muted, with lots of browns, yellows, and dark blues, with an occasionally shocking splash of deep reds. Shadow detail is good, allowing one to spot some thematic elements along the way. There’s one camera shot near the end of the movie that is remarkably simple, yet effectively disorienting for the audience.
Audio: The disc comes with a basic 5.1 DTS-HD MA mix. The musical score is minimal, but appropriately unnerving at the right moments. A number of T. Rex songs are featured and were an inspiration to Perkins as he was creating the movie. Dialog is mostly clear, with the exception of Cage, who spouts some lines that are undecipherable. Other than the tense sections of the score, there isn’t much special to be found here.
Special Features: The extras are above average. Surprisingly, there’s no interview with Cage.
- Audio commentary with Osgood Perkins
- On-set interviews: Maika Monroe, Osgood Perkins, Blair Underwood, and Alicia Witt
- Featurettes:
- Evidence
- Clues
- Teaser
- Dirty + Sweet
- Trailer
Final Verdict: Hyped as the most frightening film of the year, Longlegs is more style than substance. The elements are all there, from the setup to the set design to the acting, but there isn’t much depth below the film’s veneer, and certainly not matching the greater efforts that preceded it.
I can’t recommend this one as a blind buy, but if you’re in the mood for something that’s in line with the upcoming Halloween season, it could be worth the watch.
Fun Fact: There’s a scene where a preacher can be seen on a TV in the background. The part was played by the director, “Oz” Perkins.
My Review System:JVC DLA-RS3100 4K Ultra High-Definition Front Projector
Elite Screens Sable Frame B2 117” Width with Infinitely Variable Height
Monolith by Monoprice HTP-1 16 Channel Processor with Dirac Live
Monolith by Monoprice 7x200 Watts Amp
Monolith by Monoprice 3x200 Watts + 6x100 Watts Amp
JBL Studio 590 for Left, Center, Right, Wides, and Rears
JBL Studio 580 for Side Surrounds
JBL Studio SCS 8 for Tops
JTR Captivator 1400 Subwoofer X 4
Panasonic DP-UB420 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Player
Oppo BDP-93
NVIDIA Shield Android TV - 4K
Xbox One X
HTPC Running madVR (work in progress)
Remote: URC MX-780
Mini DSP 2X4 HD controlling all subwoofers
APC S15 Power Conditioner with Battery Backup
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