The Ring (2002)
Gore Verbinski, who made both "Mousehunt"
and "The Mexican," moves yet again into new territory
by making a horror film. This one, "The Ring," is
based on an obscure Japanese flick from a few years
ago. It's obscure in America, I have been told, because
the owners of it have purposefully withheld it from
the U.S. marketplace so that the can sell the rights
to the film only to have it remade into an American
film. That may be a good thing because not knowing
anything about the film is a good way to view it.
Regardless of marketplace strategies,
Verbinski proves himself as apt at horror as he was
at slapstick and romantic comedy in his earlier films.
His ability to build suspense, creep out his audience
and tell a believable story is quite in evidence here.
The film revolves around the idea that people are
dying after they view a mysterious videotape. When
a investigative reporter gets involved with the story
and sees the tape, her life becomes part of the story
or, really, THE story of the film.
Verbinski begins the film with no
credits and an immediate jump into story. At first
we think he might be planning a deconstruction of
the modern horror genre because the opening scenes
involves two girls having a slumber party. Images
of "Scream" and "When a Stranger Calls" and many films
of the modern horror genre leap to mind. But Verbinski
isn't really interested in being clever or droll here.
He is simply telling the story and this one begins
with a rather familiar scene. Verbinski sets quite
a mood for the forthcoming feature and he maintains
it quite well throughout.
The fact that Verbinski uses relatively
unfamiliar faces throughout the film is also important.
For example, he uses Naomi Watts, from last year's
Lynch film "Mullholland Drive," but I didn't even
snap to that until I read about the film on-line.
(Actually, my viewing companion mentioned it before
the film and I still didn't snap to it). Bryan Cox
appears in a minor yet pivotal role towards the end.
These somewhat familiar actors, combined with many
actors we have seen but have who have not put an indelible
mark on our consciousness, make the film more real
and more immediate.
Mention must be made also of young
David Dorfman who plays Watts' son in the film and
is integral to the plot. Dorfman is the creepiest
young boy in a movie, well, since Rory Culkin in "Signs."
But, really, he is quite creepy and does quite well
here. He's a pretty remarkable young actor. And, again,
he helps set quite an ominous tone here.
We do get to see the videotape that
is causing all the hubbub in the film and it is one
of the coolest avant-garde short films I've ever seen.
It has some stunning images and some cool ideas and
then these images start becoming relative to the plot.
And I don't really want to say too
much more about the film. It had me interested and
involved the entire way through. The acting is good,
effects are well done, and the plot becomes more and
more cool as the film goes on. There is very little
blood or gore as Gore (Verbinski) is more interested
in building suspense and telling a story than grossing
us out or scaring us. This isn't a film where cats
come out of the darkness or people come out of shadows
to make us jump. Rather, Verbinski simply stays true
to story here and successfully build suspense until
the revelatory climax.
If there is any problem with the
film, it is in epilogue where Verbinski, taking the
cue from the original film, has what seems like a
tacked on conclusion. I didn't like this. I thought
that the film's finale was quite enough. For this
conclusion, Dorfman must deliver a line that doesn't
work. His character is too smart to not have delivered
this warning prior to the moment he does in the film.
It just doesn't work. Still, it doesn't exactly negate
all the fine work that has come before it.
"The Ring" is a nicely built, solid
story that is fresh and original. It's nicely shot
and does just about everything right.
Note:
Score by Hans Zimmer. Make-up effects
by Rick Baker.
Supposedly Jennifer Connoly, Gwyneth
Paltrow and Kate Beckinsale all turned down the lead.
I think it would have been much less of a film with
any of these three actresses in it.
