Review of 3-Iron (2004) by Timothy F — 07 Oct 2007

Stanley Kubrick once talked about how some emotions can't be expressed with words, and that is why the arts exist. In "3-Iron" not a whole lot is said with words, but in the subtleties. Itâ??s about a young man who hangs advertisements for restaurants on the doors of homes. Whether that is his actual job or he stole the advertisements doesnâ??t matter, but his real reason for putting up the ads is to see if anyone has come home. He is very good at picking locks and spends his days inside other familyâ??s homes. He doesnâ??t steal or vandalize, he simply hangs out. Cooking food, taking showers, cleaning clothes, and taking apart clocks and stereos make up his time spent at these homes.

One of the houses he chooses to go into isnâ??t as empty as he thinks. A crying, beaten woman watches him as he goes about his day in her home. He spends a lot of time playing golf. He is eventually caught masturbating in her bed. The woman is a model, and her nude pictures were around the home and they clearly aroused him. As he is leaving, the womanâ??s husband comes home. Later that evening he comes back and watches the couple argue. The young man decides to intervene, injuring the husband. He leaves, but the model decides to go along with him, taking part in his life of squatting in the homes of strangers.

Using more words than is said in the film to describe it could ruin any sort of viewing experience someone may have, but I highly recommend this film. It requires real focus, and you must invest a lot of your heart into the viewing of the film. I can see a lot of people becoming bored while watching this film if they require everything being spelled out for them. I found it to be incredibly entertaining, but not in a conventional sense. Itâ??s not that the film is about nothing. Everything is there for you to see or feel; itâ??s just not expressed with a lot of dialog.

I felt that there was something missing in the lead characterâ??s lives, and that a desire for connection and love had a major role in the story telling. Everyone who speaks is pissed off about something and selfish, or going through extreme emotions, which you will see in some scenes of violence. I donâ??t know. I donâ??t want to say too much! I just really liked the film! The best part is it gets better as events unfold. Iâ??d say it becomes downright silly at some points. Quirky things happen that you havenâ??t seen in other films. If youâ??re like me, it will make you want to practice the art of sneaking up on people.

If you need to know more about the film than Iâ??m willing or able to say, you might just have to read some more reviews. Movies, like life, can be a mystery too you know! What can I say? Nothing else. Actually, I lied. See the damn movie! And quit downloading shit and just rent the damn DVD.