By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 2 cats
Director: Basel Owies
Country: united_states
Year: 2015
Running time: 95
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2194826/combined
Kyle says: “THE BARBER is another tiresome entry in the ‘All hope abandon, ye who enter here’ genre, save possibly for those who pursue pointless female degradation for research purposes. This one seems to be about a serial killer who buries young women alive, these victims lacking the formidable martial arts and survival skills of Uma Thurman in Quentin Tarantino’s KILL BILL (There is nevertheless a scene referencing Uma Thurman’s burial by Michael Madsen in KILL BILL Volume 2). Roofies, handcuffs, date rape, murder. As the young man lighting his cigarette says to the young woman crawling on the floor, ‘Stranger…Motel…Middle of the night…What the fuck did you think was going to happen?’ At least Anthony Perkins took the time to have a conversation with Janet Leigh in PSYCHO.
“But THE BARBER moves in another direction, and for a few minutes, something else seems to be going on in the endless cinematic roundelay of debased young women in jeopardy. Scott Glenn makes a crucial distinction of ‘the thin line between white trash and whore’, although whether that distinction is for Chris Coy or himself, or maybe the audience, is unclear. Let the games begin: This is yet another cat-and-mouse contest, with more than one cat and numerous mice. There are multiple idiotic surprises that aren’t, some good actors whose performances aren’t (If I spent more time than I already have thinking about how pathetic it is for Scott Glenn to end his career in bullshit like this, I would be depressed.), and another Netflix installment to avoid in the ongoing battle between commercial and independent cinema to see which can turn out worse films. 2 cats
“Seen Friday, September 4, 2015, on Netflix, New York.”