Review of Get Out (2017) by Kaptenvideo — 20 Mar 2017

Oh yeah: a horror movie that is actually good. A rare bird, this, no? You could predict the quality – or at least freshness – from the trailers but nothing will quite prepare you for this joyride which is a contender for the best horror movie of recent times, and crafty enough to satisfy also those who don’t really care about horror movies. Such as me.

Brother (Daniel Kaluuya) dating a white girl (Allison Williams) is dragged to her family estate for the weekend. But something is off from the very start of the journey, and it gets stranger by the minute. There’s a variety of cool cats in smaller supporting roles and you will probably not know them by name, but I will list them anyway: Bradley Whitford and Catherine Keener as the mother and father, Caleb Landry Jones as the brother, Betty Gabriel as the house maid, LilRel Howery as one of the funniest cases of black guy acting like Hollywood comedy black guy I can remember. IMDb claims he is a rising stand-up comedy star, and he’s surely an instant crowd-pleaser here. You will love every precious minute the guy gets to grace the screen.

But back to the movie at hand. „Get Out“ is an effective horror piece but director-screenwriter Jordan Peele’s ambitions are decidedly wider than that, and he can meet the high standards that he has set. If I have to to summarize his biggest accomplishment, then I would say that Peele proves to be a master storyteller. There’s a surprising diversity and depth to material. It can be followed as social commentary (what it’s like to be different; how covertly racist the modern society can be), classic horror story (adventurer braving the lands unknown) and a crafty cat-and-mouse thriller where the joy of watching rises from following how every "chess piece" is moved and how the others react.

In addition, there’s an unexpected comic relief going on, mainly acted out by LilRey Howrey as mentioned above. And last but not least, the movie makers have really taken their time with the characters and the setting to build an natural, convincing atmosphere which can stand on its own and doesn’t have to rely on cheap horror tactics as sudden horrifying noises and movements. Peele actually uses some of those too, but in a way that doesn’t feel exploitative; these help to strenghten the oppressive atmosphere and further show how the main character feels.

If I may nitpick a little, the central hero deserves to have some more individuality because he mostly gets to react to awkward and/or unpleasant situations like in black version of „Curb Your Enthusiasm“ or something. This one-note-performance by Kaluuya honestly gets a bit monotone before the action-filled final act.

But all in all, the chosen approach is understandable because „Get Out“ is only 103 minutes long and has a lot happening. And to credit the cast one more time, everybody’s offering a top-quality work, even the people in smallest roles. Considering how much their faces are shown up-close, it’s no mean feat. I’d even call it one of the most memorable ensemble movies of recent times.

There are also some pacing issues, mostly during the end which would be more hard-hitting if played out faster, especially as some major turns are not that hard to figure out by the middle. Of course, that would require attentive watching and not checking your phone all the time, as many youngsters do these days. Also, horror fans would probably like to see more gore but this is not a problem in itself. So the movie’s not near perfect but what is, eh?

„Get Out“ is that rare kind of horror movie that really deserves some major-ass awards or nominations. Maybe Oscar noms for original screenplay, directing, and several possible picks from supporting cast (Betty Gabriel, Bradley Whitford, LilRel Howery if I can pick three). If you liked this little gem that deserves to be called born classic, then you will be pleased to know that it’s been already popular in cinemas. It only cost 4.5 million USD and has already brought 113 mil from the U.S. box office alone.

"Get Out" is the best movie of 2017 I’ve seen yet.