Carnage DVD Review
Polanski is on devilish top form with this play-like dramedy involving two sets of parents discussing a recent violent altercation between their sons. Yes one boy bullied the other and things got a bit violent resulting in a nasty wound. Now the parents have come together at the “victims” home to discuss how to deal with the matter. But are the adults really prepared to act all grown up about it, or will their banter slowly dissolve into chaos as well?
It’s a great premise, and shows how very unreal and childish us adults can be when dealing with grown up issues with strangers – no matter how well intentioned we are, or think we are. Reality soon sets in.
Jodie Foster and John C Reilly play a couple surviving at opposites ends of the social spectrum. Reilly’s lovable schlub soon lets his manners give way once a few whiskeys have been thrown back through his throat. Foster also starts to show the real rage and compressed stress within her as tensions mount 9to quite a scary effect I might add).
Their adversaries are Kate Winslet’s straight backed, yet tightly wound career woman and her (never off the phone) lawyer husband, Christoph Waltz. Waltz is the real gem here as he provides much of the straight honesty, gut wrenching laughs and all without breaking much of a sweat.
Carnage will have you laughing, sneering, giggling and smirking at its blatant satire of adult behaviour in the confines of the urban and modern society. It closes as it’s drama as quickly as it starts it, but will leave a deep cynical grin on your face long after the credits finish rolling.
Steven Hurst