Nobody can accuse Christian BALE of choosing to do conventional stories. He's starring in a really quirky tale here, about an isolated boy running away from a cruel step-father (DANIEL BENZALI) and connecting with a hermit (JOHN HURT) who resides in a rundown shack in the woods, guarding a dark secret involving the death of a woman he killed and a whole lot of stashed cash.
It starts out peacefully enough, but soon invades Stephen King territory when the tale takes a much darker turn. DANIEL BENZALI is truly scary in the scene where he mocks Hurt and almost strangles him to death, after which he kicks him brutally in the side. He then forces Bale to take him to the hermit's hut deep in the woods and has him dig a couple of graves. To tell any more would spoil the rest of the plot and give away too much--let's just say, the viewer is kept wondering what will happen next, especially during the last ten minutes.
Beautifully photographed among handsome British locales, it's not exactly a pleasant story and, again, it's not surprising to see that Christian BALE is not your conventional young actor choosing only safe material. Much like Johnny Depp, he dares to take on boldly unconventional films that he must think have some sort of social significance.
Serious movie buffs might find this independent film intriguing, but it's not for the average movie-goer.
It starts out peacefully enough, but soon invades Stephen King territory when the tale takes a much darker turn. DANIEL BENZALI is truly scary in the scene where he mocks Hurt and almost strangles him to death, after which he kicks him brutally in the side. He then forces Bale to take him to the hermit's hut deep in the woods and has him dig a couple of graves. To tell any more would spoil the rest of the plot and give away too much--let's just say, the viewer is kept wondering what will happen next, especially during the last ten minutes.
Beautifully photographed among handsome British locales, it's not exactly a pleasant story and, again, it's not surprising to see that Christian BALE is not your conventional young actor choosing only safe material. Much like Johnny Depp, he dares to take on boldly unconventional films that he must think have some sort of social significance.
Serious movie buffs might find this independent film intriguing, but it's not for the average movie-goer.