William Friedkin is a hallowed name in horrordom. In truth, Friedkin’s only made two horror films—and directed an episode of HBO’s TALES FROM THE CRYPT. One film—THE GUARDIAN is a terribly forgettable thriller shot in the early nineties, emblematic of the kind of problems horror films were facing after two decades of innovation that simply could not sustain itself any longer. The second film is arguably the movie that started the revolution—THE EXORCIST.
Most cinema buffs would tell you that William Friedkin is a great filmmaker. They would cite THE FRENCH CONNECTION, THE BOYS IN THE BAND and SORCERER. They’d quote passages from Peter Biskind’s tome—Easy Riders and Raging Bulls—about the birth of 70’s cool. But—again— the truth is that William Friedkin’s last really good movie was the 1980 Al Pacino film CRUSING (It too, notably receives, DVD release this month). Since then, the man’s resume is littered with unremarkable 80’s cheese like RAMPAGE and DEAL OF THE CENTURY and 1990’s “paycheck” films for Paramount Pictures (Where Friedkin’s wife Sherry Lansing was CEO) such as JADE and BLUE CHIPS. So, when I see a film that touts “From the Director of The Exorcist” on the key art, I tend to gauge my expectations pretty low.
Well non-believers (myself amongst you) my expectations were shattered—and not in the ever-decreasing-returns-way that I had most feared. The new fact is—William Friedkin has made a phenomenal film. Perhaps the best film he’s ever made. Certainly, the most personal and intimate film he’s ever made. And, it’s nearly a direct descendant of the kind of paranoid and immediate productions that sprung up in the fertile soil of 1970’s Hollywood. It’s almost as if with one film, William Friedkin skipped by every train-wreck production for the past 27-years and arrived virtually unscathed at this moment in time, with this film in tow. Still, all the credit doesn’t go to Friedkin alone.
BUG is based on an Off-Broadway play by Pulitzer Prize Nominated Author Tracy Letts. (He adapted the screenplay for the film). And like most theatrical productions, BUG is a talking film—a showcase for actors. BUG is intimate, in that it—for all intents and purposes—takes place inside a single, run-down, thoroughly disheartening, motel room. The film is a 101-minute nightmare, trapped inside that room. That the film was released to theaters in May 2007 (the film was shot in August 2005 and made its worldwide debut at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival) does a great disservice to the movie. A film taking place entirely inside a motel room, released in the same 6-month time frame as the similarly stationed VACANCY and 1408, how much can audiences be expected to endure? But BUG is very different from those films—so different that it strains credibility to label it a “horror film”. Simply put, had this movie been released by any studio other than Lionsgate (home to Jigsaw and his bloody ilk) it would have been running art-house theaters, begging for Oscar consideration. It’s not Lionsgate’s (who has the Academy Award winning Best Picture—CRASH, under their belt) fault that film critics, audiences and the industry—as a whole—sees the studio in this light. It just is the way things are when your most visible success is a series of films the likes of which feed the fire of television-talk-show-political-pundits overlarge mouths. How many years was New Line Cinema dubbed “The house that Freddy Kruger built”?
BUG is a film that you need to see—a simple onion that begins to peel itself back revealing layer upon layer of the most intensely psychotic behavior on display outside of a David Cronenberg film that I’ve seen in years. And the source of that psychosis is Peter Evans.
Peter Evans (portrayed by Michael Shannon—reprising his role from the play) is a loaner who drifts into the life of Agnes White (Ashley Judd) after a chance encounter with Agnes’ co-worker and friend R.C. (Lynn Collins—THE NUMBER 23). Agnes is the inhabitant of that seedy motel room that provides the setting for this film. She’s also being harassed by an abusive ex, Jerry (played by Harry Connick Jr.). Peter’s pretty introverted, but after a night fueled by too much alcohol and too many drugs, Agnes’s defenses are down and she invites the strange fellow to crash on the couch. What comes next is inarguably a love story. But it’s the kind of SIDAND NANCY love story that’s never going to end well. And when the bugs come, it’s only a matter of time before that lonely motel room is transformed to hell on earth.
If you don’t know the source material on this film, I’m not going to spoil it for you. I can’t stress enough how much BUG benefits from going in with no preconceived notions about what is going to happen. The film envelops the viewer; taking you on a breakneck emotional rollercoaster toward a climax this is so severe you’ll hardly remember to breathe as the final act comes crashing down. I can’t remember the last time that a film lay to rest everything I expected it to be before the final credits ran. BUG is a mind-blowing and emotionally devastating look into the mouth of madness. And, it’s a journey you’ll be very glad you decided to take.
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