Movie Review: ‘Random Acts Of Violence’

Review by James Lindorf

Does life imitate art, or is art just a way of capturing fleeting moments of life or expressing emotions when words fail. The blurring of life and art is fundamental to Producer, Co-Writer, co-star, and Director Jay Baruchel’s new horror movie “Random Acts of Violence.” Todd Walkley (Jesse Williams) is one of the most successful R-rated comic book writers ever with his series Slasherman. After five years, it is time to bring the series to a close; the only problem is that Todd doesn’t have an ending in mind. To reignite his creativity, Todd decides to take a road trip with his wife Kathy (Jordana Brewster), his assistant Aurora (Niamh Wilson), and best friend/publisher Ezra (Jay Baruchel). The Slasherman comic was inspired by the I 90 killer who was active in the area Todd grew up. Now Todd and his team are cruising down his old stopping grounds when the bodies start to pile up in ways identical to his comic. Is life imitating art or is the serial killer back on the hunt. Shudder subscribers can find out on August 20th.

The Canadian-born writing team of Jay Baruchel and Jesse Chabot take aim at the part of American Culture in which we idolize serial killers but quickly forget their victims’ names. They began writing the movie over seven years ago, and in that time, they have been tearing down, reworking, and rebuilding the script, and it shows. That endless editing and rewriting are evident in the patchwork tone of the film. It can’t decide if it wants to be modern and edgy, a throwback to films of the 70s. There were several chances the movie could have evolved into a horror-comedy. The funniest scene in the movie is when the gang arrives at a creepy gas station in the middle of nowhere. The store only has pickled eggs and an attendant more interested in scoring meth than pumping gas. Using mixed media to try and bring the comics to life was an interesting touch. I wish I liked the art style as much as the idea, but that is a very personal choice. Unfortunately, because they were unable to choose one path for the story “Random Acts of Violence” meanders to a predictable and lackluster close.

While the story may have left something to be desired, gorehounds may want to check this one out for the make-up work and the sheer amount of body parts on display. The best scene in the film could be the first kill where we get the killer trying to give the potential victims an out. When he is rejected, he knows it is time to take their lives, but he has to amp himself up for the dirty work. It was fun to see his approach, which is similar to someone at the gym about to attempt a personal record. The scene falters a little at the end due to some bad acting and staging with the victims.

I like a lot of individual elements in the film, but it is too scattered to be something that will find its way into my rotation. They set out looking to make a smarter version of “The Last House on the Left.” Unfortunately, they ended up having more in common with the 2009 remake than the 1972 classic.

Rating: NR
Genre: Horror
Directed By: Jay Baruchel
Written By: Jay Baruchel, Jesse Chabot
On Disc/Streaming: Aug 20, 2020
Studio: Shudder