Written by George Heftler
Dan Gilroy has been very up front with the fact that Velvet Buzzsaw was his way of dealing with the studio cancellation of the Nic Cage-fronted, Tim Burton-directed, Dan Gilroy-written Superman Lives mere days before shooting began. Unfortunately, it works better as a cathartic scream into a pillow than an actual movie.
Jake Gyllenhaal and Rene Russo reunite with the writer-director after working together on Nightcrawler, 2014’s version of First Reformed — which was snubbed for both Best Picture and Best Actor nominations, but nominated for Best Original Screenplay. They are joined by Zawe Ashton, Daveed Diggs and Toni Collette in a story about a reclusive artist named Vetril Dease, whose work is discovered (and promptly stolen) after his death. As the art world fawns over the paintings, they seem to take on a life of their own, causing the death of those who would profit from them.
Let’s first talk about the movie as a metaphor. It’s obviously a pointed critique of the commercialization of art. Dease faced years of abuse and the struggle of putting himself onto canvas (quite literally, as the red hues are made from blood) and it’s quite clear that Dan Gilroy views himself as a wronged artist too. Everyone in this movie is various levels of conniving, seeking first and foremost to improve their standing in the eyes of others. Gyllenhaal’s character at one point literally declares himself to be God.
It is no surprise, then, to see Gilroy take revenge on these clear stand-ins for those who pulled the plug on his movie, his disdain for the parasites who’ve attached themselves to the artists of the world on clear display. In his fervor, however, he gets caught up in declaring himself to be superior and constantly hits us over the head with his vitriol. At some point, we get it, Dan. There are some funny jokes at the expense of these characters, and the actors do an excellent job portraying these narcissistic elites, but it’s just not enough to make Gilroy’s therapy session a particularly enjoyable watch—especially with how on the nose a lot of the dialogue is.
Now, as far as an actual horror movie goes, I won’t deny there being a couple of good parts. Hobo-man in particular is eerie as hell. His storage facility pursuit is probably the most effective moment in the whole movie for me. However, most of the “horror” happens in the last 20 minutes – I think Gilroy would have been much better served sprinkling these scenes throughout the movie as a way to build tension and keep us invested. As is, the first 2/3 of the movie waffle between a half-assed mystery looking into Dease’s past, and the aforementioned satire of the art world. Neither one is interesting enough to keep an audience engaged, despite the cast’s best efforts.
When all is said and done, <Velvet Buzzsaw is not a bad movie and I’m not ready to write off Dan Gilroy as a director. But as the kids say, “this ain’t it, chief.” It’s not horrific, clever, or poignant enough to serve as the personal diatribe it was clearly meant to be. It’s serviceable, and I suppose it could be fun with the right crowd, but I am a deep shade of disappointed, and that shade is Velvet Buzzsaw.
Rating: 5/10
Velvet Buzzsaw is now streaming on Netflix.
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