Last weekend i found myself with an unexpected glut of downtime, and i figured i’d put it to good use by crossing four films, all thrillers, off my “to-watch” list. I went into most of them essentially blind: for two out of the four, i had no idea what the premise even was, and for one of the remaining two i guessed incorrectly. Without further ado — here’s what i thought of each.

Eight Millimeter (1999)

What i “knew” going in: Nic Cage tracks down the creators of a child porno.

The celluloid macguffin is, blissfully(?), merely a teenage snuff film rather than a full-on porno — for the best, given they occasionally show snippets of the thing and i doubt Joel Schumacher wanted to be put on a list.

Regardless: Mr Cage is our greatest living actor, and, this being the nineties, he goes “full Cage” in a gloriously grimy thriller that sinks him into the depths of Los Angeles’ erotic underworld. Also featured is a disconcertingly young Joaquin Phoenix¹ and Peter Stormare as a comically evil crossbow-wielding porno director. The third act gets pretty over-the-top, at times nearing John Wick territory. But that’s fine by me: i like over-the-top! It’s better for a film to go out with a bang than to die with a whimper.

When this came out, it was slammed by reviewers, and it still only sits at a six out of ten on all the major movie-buff websites. I hesitate to invoke the word “underrated”, so often misused, but… come on. The only assumption i can make is that it that the critics still held a grudge against Mr Schumacher over Batman and Robin, and that, four years after Showgirls, Eight Millimeter’s frank sexuality was still considered too much. Bah.² They wouldn’t know kino if it hit them in the face. (8/10)

Frailty (2001)

What i “knew” going in: I thought it was going to be about a really, really old man.

It’s not. I’m willing to say Frailty, a directorial effort by Bill Paxton (of all people) ostensibly starring Matthew McConaughey, is good, even if it is mostly told through flashbacks (and, ergo, a child actor doing much of Mr McConaughey’s heavy lifting). But the twist veers things so sharply and so suddenly into a supernatural direction that the audience deserves a bit more time to take in the ramifications. And since for most of the film the viewer has been focussing not only on a child actor, but the wrong child actor, by the end of it i still felt i didn’t really know Mr McConaughey’s character — which is a problem when we’re talking about our alleged protagonist! (5½/10)

Misery (1990)

What i knew going in: Stephen King adaptation about a crazy fan who traps the author of her favourite book in her bed and demands he write Glup Shitto back in.

This is the only one i had a solid grasp on going in, since it’s hard to avoid learning about by osmosis. Great in concept, great in performance, great in script… but i could never quite shake off the fact that i was watching a psychological horror film from the director of The Princess Bride. (7/10)

Prisoners (2013)

What i “knew” going in: Denis Villeneuve. Jake Gyllenhaal. Hugh Jackman. I’m in.

Probably the best thing i’ve watched all year. It’s a punishing watch, but, my god, the talent on display from all cylinders is like nothing else. Behind the camera you have Denis Villeneuve, right in the middle of his transition from Québécois dramas to Hollywood blockbusters, and Roger Deakins, the legendary cinematographer who shot Fargo and No Country for Old Men.³ In front, you have a powerhouse ensemble cast of actors who could all easily carry a film by themselves. Hugh Jackman! Jake Gyllenhaal! Viola Davis! Paul Dano! David Dastmalchian!⁴ A masterpiece through and through — i hope we might some day get to see the original NC-17 cut, censors be damned. (10/10)