Longlegs Review
Longlegs (2024) Film Review, a movie written and directed by Oz Perkins and starring Maika Monroe, Nicolas Cage, Blair Underwood, Alicia Witt, Michelle Choi-Lee, Dakota Daulby, Lauren Acala, Kiernan Shipka, Jason Day, Lisa Chandler, Rryla McIntosh, Carmel Amit, Daniel Bacon and Vanessa Walsh.
Oz Perkins has seen a lot of horror movies if his new picture, Longlegs, is an accurate indication of just how many he’s seen. In this new film, he most notably pays homage to 1990’s films like Se7en and The Silence of the Lambs although there’s a unique quality about Longlegs that gives it a bit of a dark edge when compared to your standard thriller (from any given decade). Perkins lets the creepy images in the movie speak for themselves at times although these random flashes of spookiness seem to be interspersed at moments without any rhyme or reason. Luckily, the film’s star, Maika Monroe, has an intensity about her that will make viewers take the material much more seriously than was expected.
That is until Nicolas Cage comes on-screen with his off-the-wall personality as the title character. Now, when we meet a creepy man right at the film’s start, the top of his head is not revealed so we’re left with a sinking feeling that a true psychopath is at large and many will suspect it will be the character played by Cage who is the primary force of evil in the film. Not necessarily so. Nicolas Cage’s Longlegs doesn’t actually come into the picture in his full glory for quite a long time. Instead, the movie focuses on an FBI Agent, Lee Harker (Monroe), who comes from a family that is very dysfunctional, especially if you take into consideration the overbearing religious nature of her mom, Ruth (Alicia Witt). We meet Lee as a young girl, played quite well by Lauren Acala. Though the opening scenes set a tone for the film, the script flips elements from the early scenes of the picture upside down by the time the movie’s latter half arrives.
Blair Underwood has a meaty role as Agent Carter who seeks Lee’s sage advice when trying to discover the identity of a madman who may be associated with a string of horrific murders. Family murder/suicides have occurred and there could be a link to these crimes that comes in the form of a demonic monster of a man. It could just be the Longlegs referred to in the movie’s title that is played so interestingly by Cage.
So, the plot has a lot of major developments. Ugly scenes saturate the film such as when Lee takes a look at some bodies which have been dead for a bit and they have maggots on them. Most of the story line progresses with boards of interconnected crimes that are analyzed by the FBI agents at hand in the film. The Silence of the Lambs is the obvious inspiration but this is a completely different picture altogether because of its twists. Longlegs, as a character, is a different animal than Dr. Hannibal Lecter. Longlegs is not as swift but, at the same time, his brain races in a million different directions as Cage plays him with terrific ferocity. He’s like the type of guy you avoid at all costs whereas Lecter may have charmed his way into a conversation with you accidentally. Longlegs isn’t likely to hold any kind of stimulating conversation although his ramblings do have some significance if one chooses to pay attention to them.
Longlegs prides itself on its twists and turns. Images will just pop out of nowhere and cause audience members to jump out of their seats at given intervals. But, what the film does best is keep the audience at a distance from Monroe’s character while, at the same time, leaving viewers to root for her to get to the bottom of what is going on. When Lee discovers the secrets the movie has up its sleeve, Lee will certainly wish she wasn’t searching for the truth so desperately. These surprises are freaky and turn out to involve more than just the elements of the character of Longlegs. The climax of the movie has an Agent Browning (a well-cast Michelle Choi-Lee) coming face-to-face with situations far freakier and scarier than Cage’s Longlegs in the grand scheme of things.
That being said, Cage dons make-up that makes him look like a twisted monster. This is a Charlize Theron-type of make-up job that was featured in 2003’s aptly titled, Monster. Cage gets but a few great moments to appear on-screen and he hits the ball out of the park while the make-up adds a certain level of repulsiveness to his evil character. Maika Monroe is more complex as a character, though, and secrets regarding dolls and skeletons in the family closet will certainly complicate an already sinister agenda that is being carried out within the film.
If Longlegs doesn’t always frighten in every single scene, there are plenty of standalone sequences that will truly scare the living hell out of you. Director Oz Perkins has emulated the feel of The Silence of the Lambs and Se7en but has created something even more dark and gruesome. It goes far beyond the murders in the movie. Technically, Se7en had more gore but Longlegs is splattered in blood too and offers the same opposite way scrolling credits that were seen in David Fincher’s Se7en. Just for good measure.
Blair Underwood carries a lot of the scenes he appears in. It is Alicia Witt, however, out of the supporting performers who winds up running away with this film after all is said and done. To reveal why Witt steals the show may ruin some key surprises. But, if you’re going to see Cage act like a loony tune, make sure you know it’s a 2 for 1 deal because Witt might just give Cage a run for his money by the time the credits roll. But, Maika Monroe as the straight-laced FBI Agent with a past commands the audience’s attention too in-between the freak show moments.
Longlegs is solid entertainment that does falter a bit along the way. But, although Oz Perkins may have one too many tricks up his sleeve, the end result is the type of late night movie that will send the audience home shaking. Cage gets a lot of the credit but there’s so much going on here besides Cage. This is recommended viewing for those who know what they’re getting into.
Rating: 7/10
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