fertilecelluloid Review of Edmond

Edmond (2005)

Stuart Gordon's most potent horror film is very violent and honest

[9/10 · 12 August 2006]

Stuart Gordon was a shrewd choice to direct David Mamet's twenty year old stage play because what we're dealing with here is pure fear and thick dread. In other words -- horror. William H. Macy is "Edmond", a man who comes to the conclusion that his life has been a terrible waste and it's time he did something about it. What he does is extreme, funny, bloody, very violent, and honest. Some scenes in this little number left the audience stunned. The language is deliberately salty and provocative and the dialog, typical of Mamet, is to the point and beautifully delivered by a very strong cast. There are elements of "Taxi Driver", "God's Lonely Man", "I Stand Alone" and Scorsese's "After Hours". Though penned two decades ago, the film is more relevant today than it was then, and in a city such as Los Angeles, where I just caught it and it was shot, it has a frightening resonance because though the population here is close to fourteen million, it is one of the loneliest, most disconnected places on Earth. Certainly Stuart Gordon's most potent horror film yet and a courageous, cold slice of harsh reality (something like being slammed in the face with a bloody fist) Highly recommended.