Posted at 9:30 a.m.
Made famous for his role as Ryan Howard in the American version of the cult series The Office, BJ Novak directed, scripted and starred in his first feature film of his career. But unlike his colleague John Krasinki who found his way as a filmmaker with horror thrillers A Quiet Placehe drank rather in film noir.
Even though Revenge takes up the codes and narrative patterns, it is to better turn away from them. So don’t expect a dense plot in the vein of the classics Maltese Falcon and Chinatown, but to a perversion of the genre. The investigation into the mysterious death of this uneventful young woman is just a pretext to talk about something else.
Enough to ? About the emptiness of modern society and that of that damn America, which pushes selfishness and loneliness among its inhabitants. Traveling to the American South, our (anti)hero sometimes seems more interested in exploiting tragedy than solving it.
Rich and ambitious, the scenario does not lack pleasurable dialogues that melt in your mouth. The whole thing is coated with a biting humor that never veers too much into satire and irony.
The verbose tone, however, reminds us that this demonstration might have had better taste in a book. Brilliant words remain at the level of ideas, difficult to embody on screen. Despite the careful photography and the appropriate music, the staging lacks rhythm and struggles to display the personality of its author.
The latter, however, has given himself a role that suits him like a glove. With his impassive face à la Buster Keaton, BJ Novak plays condescension with truculence. The complex relationships between the characters are central to the narrative, allowing the motley cast – which includes Ashton Kutcher and controversial singer John Mayer – to shine.
Even if it ends a bit in a fishtail, Revenge represents a first quality achievement for BJ Novak, who already handles words with great ease. A talent to follow.
Indoors
Dark movie
Revenge
BJ Novak
Starring BJ Novak, Boyd Holbrook, Issa Rae
1:34