“This is a hell of a predicament we find ourselves in.”
George
A dark and off-kilter comedic take on home invasion horror, Villains veers between the surprising and predictable but its unsettling central performances are a delight to watch. Trimmed of any fat, we join a petty criminal couple mid-robbery, spending just long enough to appreciate that they ill-prepared but besotted with one another (reminiscent of Pulp Fiction’s Pumpkin and Honey Bunny) before moving to the house in which the remainder of this bottle movie is set. Jeffrey Donovan and Kyra Sedgwick bring a delirious Coraline-esque creepiness to the owners, all artificial smiles and crazed eyes, whilst also providing a warped glimpse at a potential future of the younger couple. The weak link is the tonal inconsistency in a script that never quite knows what it wants to be, so feels at times like a pastiche of its influences. Nevertheless, light acting and direction provide a deft gloss over darker themes, leaving Villains entertaining if insubstantial.
7/10
