I'm more and more becoming a fan of Bill Skarsgård, especially since I saw him in the enigmatic Castle Rock and in the equally weird but fascinating Hemlock Grove. Here in this movie Villains he impressed me less. That has not so much to do with Skarsgård himself, as well with the whole project. It's story is so simple and one-dimensional, with so little development, that I kept thinking: why did anyone even bother, who did they think to please with this film?!? For sure, you'll have to chuckle now and then, seeing Skarsgård and Monroe blunder around as a silly high school version of Bonnie and Clyde, facing the imperturbable but deadly couple played by Jeffrey Donovan and Kyra Sedgwick. They all do a fine job, but somehow the whole thing never passes the level of slapstick and parody, and in the end, in spite of the rather harsh conclusion of the story, you feel like you've just eaten a cotton candy: a taste of nice but airy and readily forgettable nothingness.
Review of Villains
