Directed By Oz Perkins

Starring – Maika Monroe, Nicolas Cage, Blair Underwood

The Plot – FBI Agent Lee Harker (Monroe) is a gifted new 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 (Cage) and must race against time to stop him before he claims the lives of another innocent family.

Rated R for bloody violence, disturbing images and some adult language.

LONGLEGS | The End Trailer | In Theaters July 12 (youtube.com)

POSITIVES

Up until now, Perkins has shown himself to be a promising filmmaker who atmospheric ambiance has helped produce some memorable forms of originality, but even in those previous efforts, the execution of the storytelling seems to get in the way of those efforts reaching prominence. That changes with ‘LongLegs’, as not only is it a tensely chilling experience within the deepest, darkest depths of Perkins mind, but also a compelling thematic dissection in the constructs of its characters that made this such a rewarding watch. On that element, Perkins delves into aspects pertaining to religious toxicity that help produce a film that is unapologetically nihilistic, where the ideas of faith might seem relevant to its characters, but the realities of such are nowhere to be found in such a desolately cruel and unforgiving investigation that Lee steers, all the while uncovering some hard to swallow truths about her past that play parallel to the case’s various discoveries along the way. What’s most refreshing is the chances that Perkins takes with unabashed confidence to his script, which manage to keep it from feeling like a majority of serial killer subgenre predecessors that can often be defined by a series of familiar moves. Instead, Perkins spends ample time with his killer, which could easily flounder the film’s fear factor, but instead accentuates it, not only as a result of Cage’s unchained performance, but also in comprehending the absence of humanity and consequence to this very dangerous and unrelenting antagonist, giving the film a much-needed shot of morbid curiosity, each time Cage frolics into frame. Likewise, ‘LongLegs’ isn’t exactly defined by the effectiveness of its mystery, instead conjuring all of the pieces early on in the film for the audience, but not exactly seeing the big picture that they muster until they’re meticulously pieced together with the why and how, instead of the who. Perkins isn’t shy about this fact, as everyone who has seen the trailer knows that Cage is the killer, but for once it’s his motive over his actions that I feel is most chilling about his impact to the proceedings, and when corresponding with make-up and costume designs that allow Cage to somehow disappear seamlessly into the role, until he opens his mouth, we truly get to experience a maniacal presence that I can safely say feels so unlike anyone or anything that I have ever seen on-screen. Adding to that production values are the subtle but effective objects within the set designs that convey the uniqueness and perhaps convenience of its timely setting. To its credit, this isn’t an element to the storytelling that is focused upon with relevance to the story, but it is another example of how Perkins doesn’t spoon-feed his audience every aspect of his narrative, instead offering evidence in imagery that has us shaping together geographic and timely relevance in the same way a detective truly would, but all without getting lost in the idea of their confines that could otherwise smother or obscure the importance of where the story maintains its focus. It’s also worth noting repeatedly how remarkable the direction from Perkins is towards eliciting a thickly resonating element of dread and isolation within the air of his meticulously crafted atmosphere, keeping audiences continuously on the edge of their seats in an illustrated world where anything can, and often does, happen. This is where the dynamic of sight and sound are married beautifully, as sharp contrasts within the sound design, unpredictable editing contrasts, surveillance style photography, and one seedily scintillating score from Zilgi that continuously imbeds itself under your skin through tense interactions that effortlessly garner a suspense factor. However, as brilliant as each of these unique tweaks and twists are to the integrity of audience interpretation, it’s the cinematography from Andres Arochi that I found most intoxicating, with weathered color grading, coldly damp backdrops, and diverse aspect ratios between various timelines that transform the canvas without needing to meander the sentiment with on-the-nose on-screen text that could break concentration. Such an instance pertains to flashbacks within Lee’s life, which are enveloped with a vintage 4:3 ratio that looks like projection footage. Because the movie uses this gimmick a couple of times throughout its 96 minute engagement, it artistically reflects the age of the decade depicted, while simultaneously feeding into the defined factors of aged film looking much creepier than contemporary advancements. Lastly, I have to talk about the performances, as Monroe, Cage and even Alicia Witt inscribe something integral to the experience that feels like some of the best work that any of the trio have ever inspired. For Maika Monroe, it’s the ability to accentuate her most psychologically complex character to date, as an autistic genius of sorts, who is able to pick up on things clearly and concisely more than her peers, and while Monroe’s timidness in vulnerability to the character is easily her most discernable feature, for me it was her drive to dig deeper that was most compelling, attaining her most emotionally tangible performance to date, even if she will be unfortunately and inevitably overshadowed by Cage, and for good reason. Lately, it seems like we’ve commended Cage for essentially playing himself in movies, but as the self-named “Longlegs”, Cage taps into something far darker and depraved than anything he’s previously conjured, and between fits of maniacal glee to the macabre he has meticulously orchestrated and the unnervingly eccentric deliveries that dig deep into his falsetto, Cage is the living, breathing embodiment of evil, silencing the doubters from the movie’s opening scene, on the idea that he lacks the kind of range at 60 that won him an Oscar at 32. It also comes with responsibility, as Cage could easily dissolve everything previously heralded about the film, if his portrayal comes across as too comical, but even in saying so many off-beat statements, Cage still maintains the creepiness and mentally unstable constructs of his character’s designs, giving deliveries that may emit a few laughs to the bizarreness of the pageantry Cage brings to film, but none that take away from the imposing influence that Longlegs demands, each time he invades our screen.

NEGATIVES

Though ‘Longlegs’ attains success in its dread-inducing and atmospheric chills, it isn’t without fault to some of the realities of its finished execution, resulting in some momentary spills that loses more momentum than I would’ve cared to admit. For starters, Perkins isn’t interested in answering everything about this case, and while I would normally respect the intention of emulating life and all of its unfinished business, I think it requires convenience in a way that is difficult to periodically go along with. Without spoiling anything, I can say that logic is strained ever so slightly during the movie’s climax, and while I can go along with the idea that evil can summon some pretty remarkable feats, I think for a story that was grounded in the realities of human beings committing unadulterated rage, it borders feeling like an entirely different film for a particular plot device, that I honestly wish was omitted completely from the finished product. Likewise, ‘Longlegs’ is another example of a film using a chapter structure for what I can interpret as no reason what so ever. I’m sure other moviegoers will have an answer for why it’s vital in this particular instance, but for my money it only halted the momentum each time one of its three title screens intruded on the proceedings, mere seconds after an unbridled urgency was unceremoniously paid off, feeling like the latest offender in this artistic decision, which has become a cliche within itself to cinema. Finally, not all problems with the film are with its script, as some artificial blood of C.G deposits undercut a nearly perfect breed of production values to the film. If committed once, I could easily forgive, especially when done in the current timeline and aspect ratio that are a little easier to hide their artificiality, however when it happens in flashbacks, it feels too boldly red for that style of color grading, and as a result we have these horrifying deaths and trauma’s being lessened by this comedic enveloping, which is all the more surprising considering the film does have practical blood scenes that work so much better than their artificial counterpart.

OVERALL
‘Longlegs’ is the cinematic triumph that has taken Oz Perkins nearly a decade to attain, but as a result elicits a taut psychological thriller that sticks to your skin in the best kind of ways. With mesmerizing performances from Monroe and Cage, as well as creative artistic merits that perfectly blend for that one-of-a-kind experience, the film legitimately attains chills through the duration of its 96 minute run time, and even with some momentary hinderances in the unnecessary episodic approach to its structure, or the dimensions of its climactic third act, the film sticks the landing with an overall execution that values style as much as substance, making the race for the year’s best horror movie all the more crowded because of its unforgettable impact.

My Grade: 8/10 or B+