This Review Reveals Minor Details About the Plot.
Holy Cow!
Plot Overview
Bald Ben Day (Corey Stoll) has a surprise visitor,
Libby Day (Charlize Theron) whose testimony at age eight helped
convict him of the murder of their mom & two sisters when he
still had hair. The “Kill Club” of amateur sleuths is
convinced of his innocence and has enlisted his reluctant sister to
help set him free. He's a shy guy, never popular, but had a secret
girlfriend Diondra (Chlöe Grace Moretz) who lured him
into joining a Satanic cult, rumors of which poisoned the jury
pool. He was blasé about his defense and in prison got his
high school diploma and is on his way to a college degree in
English. His case file is slated for shredding in three weeks to
make room for contemporary ones, so they have limited time to
work on it. The trail of old contacts/suspects is growing cold but
has not faded away.
Ideology
Libby
speculates that their family mess was caused by “bad Day
blood,” but there is a simpler, textbook explanation.
(Prov. 30:21-23) “For
three things the earth is disquieted, and for four which it cannot
bear: For a servant when he reigneth; and a fool when he is filled
with meat; For an odious woman when she is married; and an handmaid
that is heir to her mistress.” Libby (Sterling Jerins) a
traumatized child of eight was interrogated by servants of the
court who asked her leading questions, “Did Ben kill your mom
and your sisters? You were in the house when it happened. It was
Ben. He killed them. Right?” Sure, she was in the house, but
she fled out the window without really seeing what happened.
Now she has blocked it from her memory but recalls Ben as a shy guy
volunteering for the art club. Yes, he did commit a youthful
indiscretion with one of his charges—just once—but it
would be quite a stretch to presume that led to a murder spree,
although back then the girl's friends expanded on it to make him
out to be a perv.
"For a fool when he is filled with
meat." Libby became an instant child celebrity. She had a fund and
a fan club with mail including checks. “Strangers send me
money, just enough to do nothing, which is what I did.” She
hasn't developed any independent source of income but has become a
hoarder. She has no incentive to recant. The public's memory being
short, her cash cow is drying up, so now she's accepted the club's
offer to pay her to investigate.
“For an odious woman when she is married.” Libby's father (Sean Bridgers) left when she was little, but visits from time to time, and is borderline rough with her mom. The movie spares us analysis of their marriage, but they had four children together, and he worked the farm all those years. She (“Cunt!”) had not made life with her palatable enough to keep him around, and whatever his failings, a husband in residence would have been a provider and a protector.
“For an handmaid that is
heir to her mistress.” However strapped for cash the family
was, the mom would not pawn the little ruby-studded crucifix she
wore on her neck. It had been passed down from her grandmother
and was meant to stay in the family. It was not for her son's
slutty girlfriend she didn't even know about, who was supposed
to remain in the car while Ben raided his mom's stash of cash to
elope with. How did she end up with it? Sure, she participated in
the Satan cult's slaughter of farm cows, but she was too slight of
build to do any serious damage herself.
Production Values
“” was directed by Frenchman Gilles Paquet-Brenner who framed the screenplay from its source book by a genuine Kansas raised girl to get the American flavor. It stars Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult and Christina Hendricks. The cast did a credible job.
MPA rated it R for some disturbing violence, language, drug use and sexual content. The editing was slick using B&W for the many flashbacks. It does well as a dark mystery but not much else. Runtime is 1 hour 53 minutes.
Review Conclusion w/a Christian's Recommendation
If you're having a hard time solving the mystery, join the club. If you want to check ahead with the book, you'll have to go to the last fifty pages. This is more drama than excitement and the investigation proceeds apace to a satisfying conclusion. For crime and mystery buffs.
Movie Ratings
Action factor: Decent action scenes. Suitability For Children: Not Suitable for Children of Any Age. Special effects: Average special effects. Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day. Suspense: A few suspenseful moments. Overall movie rating: Three stars out of five.
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