Review of Carnage (2002) by Will H — 24 May 2012

Roman Polanski has long been an intriguing, eclectic filmmaker, and the short but sweet Carnage is a chief example. Running a mere 79 minutes, the entire film takes place within a New York apartment, and spends its entire runtime focusing on two married couples attempting to civilly deal with one of their kids hitting the other in the park.

The "carnage" in the title is not a physical one, but rather one of character, in which every participant in the discussion is deconstructed emotionally, stripping them down to their bare essence, egregious character flaws and all.

And it makes for a very, very funny and sometimes quite depressing watch, with four Hollywood heavyweights bringing their A-game. Polanski's direction is unconventional for a comedy film, with little details being brought into uncharacteristically sharp focus, such as Alan's constantly ringing cell phone, or the time him and Nancy spend in the bathroom after a vomiting incident.

Polanski teams up with original story playwright Yasmina Reza, and crafts a tight, humorous, and realistic script. As mentioned above, the four actors help bring the script into the realm of biting reality.

Jodie Foster excels in a rather unlikable and thankless role as Penelope, the liberal who brought them together in an attempt to resolve things peacefully, but eventually gives way to the pressure looming around her.

Christoph Waltz delivers my favorite performance of the film as Alan, the man who believes that violence is in a boy's blood, subscribing to the god of carnage. Kate Winslet also delivers a surprisingly funny performance as Alan's wife Nancy, with the vomit gag inspiring multiple laughs on my part, as a woman who is much more deceptive in personality than she may initially appear to be.

And John C. Reilly delivers the biggest laughs as the short-tempered and uncouth Michael, who's ideals conflict so greatly with his wife's that it becomes baffling. Polanski made a shockingly satisfying little film with Carnage, one that is both funny and depressing, but also captures the real-life feel of the situation.