Rated R for disturbing violent and sexual content.
Starring
Mia Wasikowska, Matthew Goode, Nicole Kidman, Dermot Mulroney, Jacki
Weaver, Lucas Till, Alden Ehrenreich, Phyllis Somerville, Ralph Brown,
Judith Godrèche.
Written by Wentworth Miller and Erin Cressida Wilson.
Directed by Chan-wook Park.
GRADE: *** (three our of four stars)
GOSPEL-DOCTRINE-O-METER: (zero Moronis out of four) Stoker is the tale of an 18-year-old girl who has a creepy uncle, and is drawn to his evil tendencies. While a visually-compelling horror/thriller, Stoker doesn't offer up any gospel principles, except perhaps what "not to do."
Everyone
has a creepy relative. Sometimes those odd family members can have a
negative influence on the entire group, and sometimes the “black sheep”
rubs off on others. That's the premise of Stoker, Korean
director Park Chan-Wook's English-speaking debut film about an evil
uncle's influence over his eccentric 18-year-old niece.
Mia
Wasikowska plays India Stoker, an odd teen-aged girl raised by an
imaginative father (Dermott Mulrooney) and cold-hearted socialite mother
(Nicole Kidman). After the untimely death of India's father in an
apparent car crash, her father's brother Charlie (Matthew Goode) comes
to visit during the funeral. Uncle Charlie has been away for several
years, supposedly traveling the world. His negative influence over other
the Stoker estate staff and extended family is immediately felt, and
some of them begin to disappear under mysterious circumstances.
India
suspects Charlie is behind some of the disappearances, but is
nevertheless drawn to his charms. As she discovers that Uncle Charlie
may be a serial murderer with a disturbing past, she is torn between
disgust and fascination over his macabre ways. She must decide whether
to embrace her own hereditary evil tendencies or to follow a different
path.
“Stoker” is a Gothic horror tale with a lot of similarities to Hitchcock's classic “Shadow of a Doubt” (1943).
The antagonist in both films is named Uncle Charlie and both characters
may or may be serial killers. Park Chan-Wook's interpretation of
Wentworth Miller and Erin Cressida Wilson's script may or may not be an
homage to Hitchcock, but such comparisons shouldn't detract
from “Stoker's” superb tension and brilliant cinematography.
Matthew
Goode is especially brilliant as the creepy Uncle Charlie, while Mia
Wasikowska's quirky performance is more than adequate. Kidman turns in
her usual competent performance, but her presence doesn't add much to
the movie, despite her star qualities.
“Stoker” is rated R for a fair amount of disturbing violence and one scene of sexuality involving Wasikowska.
“Stoker” premiered
at the Sundance Film Festival in January and opened Friday at The
Broadway Centre Theater in Salt Lake City (111 E Broadway).
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