King of the Hill continues to prove that the Spanish, the rest of Europe. Asia, and even Canada are able to produce better crafted horror cinema than the United States. While King may not be horror per say (if anything, it belongs more firmly in the thriller/suspense genre), it still provides an effective look at an ordinary man as his safe, secure world comes crashing down in the face of human cruelty in its purest form.
Quim is having a rough day. First, he's unable to get in touch with his ex-girlfriend, in the vain hopes of reconciling (and possibly some no-strings-attached lovin'). Then, he spies a young woman shoplifting in the gas station, and, in exchange for not turning her in, she offers him some "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" in the form of a bathroom quickie. While that may not necessarily sound like a bad thing, it quickly becomes worse with the discovery she's robbed him, though inexplicably paid for his gas. Our understandably pissed hero follows her van through a vast mountainous range; where then a slightly less-than-average day descends completely into hell with a flash of light atop a mountain, the crack of a rifle, and a bullet in his car battery and his leg. Soon, he and the aforementioned thief, Bea, find themselves stalked by the most dangerous of killers; one able to target them effortlessly via a high-powered rifle. Shoot. Kill. Game Over.
The idea of comfortably soft, well-off city slickers being lost in an unfamiliar, hostile environment while being stalked and tormented by an adversary with an intimate knowledge of their surroundings dates as far back as outings such as Deliverance and Southern Comfort, both very strong genre outings. But whereas those films had their actual location (forest and swamp, respectively) play as much, if not more of a threat than the physical, identifiable enemy, King has its woods and mountainous ranges play an almost passive part (though there a few wince inducing injuries dealt out by Mother Nature), and the main threat is the sniper, who for his prowess in navigating the land as far as his far reaching view, may as well be God. King of the Hill, indeed. As such, the director is able to generate some genuinely suspenseful set-pieces; the frequent moments of silence, and dare I say it, relative tranquility, are violently punctuated by the retorts of his rifle, and as a result the viewer is left in an agonizing state of suspense, dreading the next shot to land right between the shoulder blades of our protagonists. The inability to know where or when the next attack will occur proves infinitely more frightening than a masked troglodyte you can see coming a mile away.
In true horror fashion, there is an intervention by the cops, and as most anyone with a brain can foresee, the boys in blue will offer no salvation; instead, they'll be disbelieving assholes who meet their end at the hands of the foe they thought was a practical joke coined by those damn kids and their decadent lifestyle. "I told you so" has never been so true. And for better or worse, the cops in Hill are no exception. Unfortunately, this is also one of the film's larger stumbling blocks. I mean, there's disbelieving, which is sometimes excusable, and then there's disbelieving. As Jane Austen would likely note, these cops are of "ill-breeding", as not only do they appear oblivious to the wound in his leg, deaf to his repeated claims that some asshole is trying to kill him, they believe him guilty of a murder (quite early on, Quim killed an accomplice of the sniper), and then arrest him and Bea and drive them to the scene of the crime. Un-frigging-believable. Once, just once, I would love to see a cop actually believing the story of an obviously panicked individual, instead of giving them the old "the hell you say" and contuing to be a fool right to their violent end. Luckily, the sniper does the world a service and preforms a little high calibre brain surgery, among other things, upon the "defenders of the people".
The most interesting element of the film comes near the hour mark, when the film makes a sudden shift to the perspective of the killer. What was a taught, near breathless extended stalk sequence suddenly morphs into a satire, and a extremely effective one at that. Going further down this road of discussion is impossible without divulging massive spoilers, but I'll just say this: the title brings on a whole new meaning with the revelation. The villain, while rendered slightly less frightening when seen as a human being, instead of a near god-like figure, is still brought vividly to life by the actor portraying him, and ultimately he stands out as one of the more savage and interesting antaganists I've seen of late.
The film is shot on video and captures the landscape beautifully, making the vast wilderness a force to be equally admired and reckoned with; the standout being the climax set in an abandoned, decaying village, which takes on a most terrible beauty. It is an extremely tightly shot film, with the actors being framed often in close up, forcing the viewer into a more intimate standpoint. The score works well, with the music ranging from melancholy guitar riffs to a thundering percussion for several of the attacks. Good stuff. The acting is solid across the board, with Quim being enough of an everyman to gain our sympathy, despite his sometimes morally dubious decisions. Valverde brings an intriguing sense of mystery to her character; nothing is ever really revealed of her, and throughout the film, it is alluded that she may be in league with the killer. Of course, I'll neither prove or disprove this.
Word is the Weinsteins are planning on seizing this for a remake, so be sure to get to the goods before this can happen. Really, it all comes down to choosing between a steak and microwavable roast beef. Really, not that hard a decision.
Quim is having a rough day. First, he's unable to get in touch with his ex-girlfriend, in the vain hopes of reconciling (and possibly some no-strings-attached lovin'). Then, he spies a young woman shoplifting in the gas station, and, in exchange for not turning her in, she offers him some "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" in the form of a bathroom quickie. While that may not necessarily sound like a bad thing, it quickly becomes worse with the discovery she's robbed him, though inexplicably paid for his gas. Our understandably pissed hero follows her van through a vast mountainous range; where then a slightly less-than-average day descends completely into hell with a flash of light atop a mountain, the crack of a rifle, and a bullet in his car battery and his leg. Soon, he and the aforementioned thief, Bea, find themselves stalked by the most dangerous of killers; one able to target them effortlessly via a high-powered rifle. Shoot. Kill. Game Over.
The idea of comfortably soft, well-off city slickers being lost in an unfamiliar, hostile environment while being stalked and tormented by an adversary with an intimate knowledge of their surroundings dates as far back as outings such as Deliverance and Southern Comfort, both very strong genre outings. But whereas those films had their actual location (forest and swamp, respectively) play as much, if not more of a threat than the physical, identifiable enemy, King has its woods and mountainous ranges play an almost passive part (though there a few wince inducing injuries dealt out by Mother Nature), and the main threat is the sniper, who for his prowess in navigating the land as far as his far reaching view, may as well be God. King of the Hill, indeed. As such, the director is able to generate some genuinely suspenseful set-pieces; the frequent moments of silence, and dare I say it, relative tranquility, are violently punctuated by the retorts of his rifle, and as a result the viewer is left in an agonizing state of suspense, dreading the next shot to land right between the shoulder blades of our protagonists. The inability to know where or when the next attack will occur proves infinitely more frightening than a masked troglodyte you can see coming a mile away.
In true horror fashion, there is an intervention by the cops, and as most anyone with a brain can foresee, the boys in blue will offer no salvation; instead, they'll be disbelieving assholes who meet their end at the hands of the foe they thought was a practical joke coined by those damn kids and their decadent lifestyle. "I told you so" has never been so true. And for better or worse, the cops in Hill are no exception. Unfortunately, this is also one of the film's larger stumbling blocks. I mean, there's disbelieving, which is sometimes excusable, and then there's disbelieving. As Jane Austen would likely note, these cops are of "ill-breeding", as not only do they appear oblivious to the wound in his leg, deaf to his repeated claims that some asshole is trying to kill him, they believe him guilty of a murder (quite early on, Quim killed an accomplice of the sniper), and then arrest him and Bea and drive them to the scene of the crime. Un-frigging-believable. Once, just once, I would love to see a cop actually believing the story of an obviously panicked individual, instead of giving them the old "the hell you say" and contuing to be a fool right to their violent end. Luckily, the sniper does the world a service and preforms a little high calibre brain surgery, among other things, upon the "defenders of the people".
The most interesting element of the film comes near the hour mark, when the film makes a sudden shift to the perspective of the killer. What was a taught, near breathless extended stalk sequence suddenly morphs into a satire, and a extremely effective one at that. Going further down this road of discussion is impossible without divulging massive spoilers, but I'll just say this: the title brings on a whole new meaning with the revelation. The villain, while rendered slightly less frightening when seen as a human being, instead of a near god-like figure, is still brought vividly to life by the actor portraying him, and ultimately he stands out as one of the more savage and interesting antaganists I've seen of late.
The film is shot on video and captures the landscape beautifully, making the vast wilderness a force to be equally admired and reckoned with; the standout being the climax set in an abandoned, decaying village, which takes on a most terrible beauty. It is an extremely tightly shot film, with the actors being framed often in close up, forcing the viewer into a more intimate standpoint. The score works well, with the music ranging from melancholy guitar riffs to a thundering percussion for several of the attacks. Good stuff. The acting is solid across the board, with Quim being enough of an everyman to gain our sympathy, despite his sometimes morally dubious decisions. Valverde brings an intriguing sense of mystery to her character; nothing is ever really revealed of her, and throughout the film, it is alluded that she may be in league with the killer. Of course, I'll neither prove or disprove this.
Word is the Weinsteins are planning on seizing this for a remake, so be sure to get to the goods before this can happen. Really, it all comes down to choosing between a steak and microwavable roast beef. Really, not that hard a decision.
Yea, it seems the rest of the planet is making strides in the horror/suspense genre while the US lags behind.
ReplyDeleteHigh caliber brain surgery. Great line. Terrific movie. Excellent review.
ReplyDelete