Carnage (2012)

Carnage is the New Roman Polanski film. I have to make something perfectly clear from the start. I don't like Roman Polanski one iota. I don't mean I don't think he is a talent film maker, because he is, what I mean is as a human being I don't rate Roman Polanski as a decent one at all. The reason for this is his 'alleged' rape of an underage girl in 1977. I say alleged because he was never found guilty for the simple reason that he fled the country before trial and has never returned to prove his innocence, none of which sits well with me. I tell you this because as you can imagine I probably therefore have a bias against any film which he made. For example one friend of mine thinks I am insane because I don't feel that the Pianist is very good at all. Maybe it is because I know that it's based on his life, or maybe it is a generic fairly boring film, who knows. Either way, a lot of Polanski films are tainted by the man behind the camera.

That being said Carnage took me by surprise. I had wanted to see it since I first saw the trailer, a trailer which had the immediate effect of making me intensely interested in a film only to disappoint me when the caption 'a film by Roman Polanski' came onscreen. Never the less I went to see it and found a witty, sharp, tensely made film with a lot to remember it for. Carnage has a simple premise. two couples are meeting to resolve an issue between their two sons, one of whom has hit the other one with a stick causing a wound and some dental damage. As the film progresses (basically in real time) events become more and more tense as the two couples begin to become frustrated with the others point of view on the situation and various insults and kinships begin to develop.

the film takes place in two places, the living room, and on occasion the bathroom, and consists of 4 characters (5 if you count a neighbour peering through his door for a moment). As such it should come as no surprise that the film is based on a play. Whilst most films based on plays try and expand outwards and prove that they are more than a play, Carnage relishes the close quarters of the events, using the rooms as an increasing claustrophobic catalysis for  emotions and tensions.

The cast consists of Kate Winslet, Jodie Foster, John C Reilly & Christoph Waltz, all of whom play their respective roles brilliantly. Kate Winslet hasn't been this good in years (though I've yet to see Mildred Pierce), and John C Reilly is once again reminding us that he's actually a damn fine dramatic actor as well as a comic one. With this and We Need To Talk About Kevin I think he's really setting the scene for a fantastic dramatic return. Whilst the film is indeed tense and claustrophobic, it is also very very funny, the type of humour that makes things like Curb Your Enthusiasm funny, awkward humour, you're laughing at them, but if it were happening to you, you may very well be crying. The comic timing of pretty much all the cast, whether it's in the delivery of their lines, or their actions, is spot on, and quite often there was a collective roar of laughter from the audience.

It's a real shame that this film is a Roman Polanski film, as I genuinely think that more people should watch it and enjoy it, but doing so would only benefit the man himself. Nevermind, just watch the film and ignore the film maker, as this is bitingly funny, tensely dramatic and in all good fun.