Review of The Vicious Kind (2009) by Brian C — 29 Jan 2011

'The Vicious Kind' is a very odd film, where the characters do whatever they want but persistently surprise the audience. The main character Caleb, played wonderfully by Adam Scott, is not a great individual. In fact, he's a violent, arrogant, mean-spirited asshole who makes his narrow-viewed opinions outwardly known to everyone around him so they are all as miserable as he is. Well, until we watch more of the film.

I could go on to discuss the plot, the acting, and the directing, but this is a film that just needs to be seen so that it unravels in front of you. There are no perfect characters, secrets stay secrets, and most of the time, these people do the wrong things. But it's devilishly entertaining simply because it successfully demonstrates genuine, human emotion. We're driven by sex and death, and this is a film that realizes that and refuses to say something just because it's convenient.

As an audience in the 21st century, we're conditioned by 'f-words' and people being ruthlessly slaughtered, but for some reason, this little indie movie moved something inside of me that I have never felt before. Is it a perfect film? No, and it's damn sure not trying to be.