The writer-director who brought us Nightcrawler – Dan Gilroy, once again teams up with famed actors Jake Gyllenhaal and Rene Russo, this time to peak into the snobbish world that circulates a group of wild artsy elites…
A somewhat tricky film to categorise, Velvet Buzzsaw is a cocktail of satire, mystery, thrills and a double shot of supernatural horror. Gilroy is taking a poke into the merciless ambition held by art galleries in their desire to compete for art. The film gets underway when Josephina (Zawe Ashton), new lover of art critic Morf Vandewalt (Jake Gyllenhaal) and protégé of Rhodora Haze, owner of Haze Gallery, discovers a large body of oil paintings left behind by her neighbour whom she finds dead on the floor. We soon learn that the artist, Vetril Dease, a recluse who once murdered his own father, left specific instructions for his rather tenebrous work to be destroyed upon his death, however Josephina, captivated by the art sees an opportunity to intercept Dease’s works and exhibit them.
A constant wave of satire is milked throughout the first half of the film and we viewers are left resenting the way the world operates and the pretension of the characters within it. Gyllenhaal delivers a really strong performance as this maddening yet feared art critic, and is the most complex character the movie has to offer, but is not as fun as Russo who perfectly encapsulates a power-hungry gallery owner as she rampages around the place letting everyone know who is boss.
It is in the second half of the film where suddenly the world we have become acquainted to, comes tumbling down. In a series of cheap twists and jump scares everyone who profited from exploiting the dead artist’s oeuvre pays the price. One by one the elites are brutally killed in a series of colourful and creative ways as the art takes vengeance. This is fun to watch, but equally tacky (just like some of the paint). The horror element could have been exploited further. At times some of the murders are imaginative and creepy, one in particular comes to mind where a victim unknowingly recreates a position depicted in a painting, which leads to her immediate death, however others are predictable and boring.
Having an open mind is necessary to enjoy this film. It is darkly satisfying and wildly outrageous. The horror tropes are trashy and rate 3/10 on the scare-o’meter, but overall it’s fun and exciting to witness specific madness ensue in such lavish Los Angeles galleries and expensive real estate.
Author: Matthew, Kingston store
