Review of Tusk (2014) by Aaron G — 30 Jul 2015

Kevin Smith's films have always been unique experiences. They're quirky, humorous, surreal and dramatic all at the same time. His style (at least until Clerks II) had been the formula for his success. Recently Smith had tried his hand at other projects, like Zack and Miri Make a Porno, Cop Out, Jersey Girl and so on, and he himself even admits that these films "could have been made by anybody". Tusk is clearly not an example of that statement.

Tusk is the story of a podcaster named Wallace (played by Justin Long) who travels up to Manitoba to meet with an internet celebrity. After the event falls through, he meets an older man named Howard who has an interesting past, and wants to share his story. Needless to say, Howard is insane and intends on turning Wallace into a human walrus.

It's a simple story with a really scary execution. Howard is yearning to relive his past with a walrus (he tells a story of one who saved him when he was much younger) and it drives him to re-create one using human flesh. It sounds like a scenario out of The Human Centipede or even Saw. After Wallace's capture, the film takes a dramatic turn in tone, and becomes a whole different film.

That's the one problem Tusk seems to have. It can't decide whether it wants to be a horror film or a dramedy. The film starts out like any other comedy film, with two buddy characters who run a podcast (The other is Haley-Joel Osment) and the interactions Wallace has with the people around him are actually really funny at times. It's a lighthearted environment until he meets Howard. The tone becomes dark and grim, and reminds you of the dinner scene in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. It's really well executed, and the contrasting environments really add to how seriously in trouble Wallace is in. The problem doesn't start until after Wallace is "transformed" and his friend, girlfriend and French Canadian detective Guy Lapointe (played beautifully by Johnny Depp) it seems to switch between the humorous, lighthearted tone and the dark and grim tones when dealing with the different characters.

Either way, the darker parts of the story, especially the reveal of the human-walrus is pretty unsettling. And it's effective. It makes the ending a lot more plausible as well. The film could have focused more on Wallace and his psyche as he deals with his predicament, but instead it doesn't do the cliché "captured man overpowers his captor and escapes" third act. Smith completely defies expectations.

Despite its flaws, Tusk proves that Kevin Smith is back to what made him a respected filmmaker in the first place. He's doing things his own way, in his own distinct style. He's a true filmmaker with a passion for the art, and it's good to see him do what he does best again.