Review of Edmond (2006) by William C — 16 Aug 2007

An excellent, if entirely disturbing and unsatisfactorily brutal and dark film. William H. Macy is superb as the disgruntled, lost, borderline psychotic Edmond. He brilliantly portrays Edmonds rapid descent in to insanity, and eventually horrific violence, whilst on a late night tour of the underbelly of New York in the search of increasing depraved, yet depressingly unfulfilled sexual fantasies, and the kind of vile characters he is unfortunate enough to encounter along the way.

The fact that this film does not wrap things up nicely either could be seen as quite frustrating after you?ve spent a couple of hours following Edmonds often excruciatingly bleak, almost dreary journey.

It has to be said, there are moments of absolute hilarity entirely necessary to punctuate the relentless oppressiveness very much in evidence throughout this film. Such as when Macy's character is complaining to a priest about his being sexually assaulted by his cell mate, with the side splitting line "I was sodomised! Do you know what they said?? It happens".

All in all a good film, very well made, and fairly tight and concise, welcome given the grim nature of much of this film. Worth a watch, though not if you're feeling rather depressive about the world and its inhabitants to begin with!