It's always a pleasant surprise going into a film you know little to nothing about and having it become an instant favorite. Dan Berk and Robert Olsen's fantastic film Villains is the newest indie of this variety to leave me beyond satisfied. The only thing I knew about Villains going in was that it starred Bill Skarsgård and was a dark comedy but what I ended up getting was so much more. Not only does this film provide an effective and wildly thrilling plot, but the direction from the two elevate it to a whole other, exciting level. Even though a vast majority of the script and dialogue seemed to be an exquisite corpse of ideas from many other, more focused thrillers, this film is an undoubtedly fun ride with some excellent performances and a very impressive use of small-scale filmmaking. For better or worse, this movie proves that there doesn't always need to be an underlying message to make a movie engaging, but rather just a simple premise executed villainously well.
After robbing a convenience store, amateur criminals Mickey (Bill Skarsgård) and Jules (Maika Monroe) plan to make their way to Florida, until their car breaks down on the side of an interstate. They find a local home where they plan to steal a car but as the homeowners George (Jeffrey Donovan) and Gloria (Kyra Sedgwick) arrive, the two outlaws realize that the house they are stuck in harbors a much darker secret than they ever could have expected. While this movie can absolutely and rightfully be seen as forgettable or mediocre, there is something about its production that is incredibly charming: Dan Berk and Robert Olsen's direction. Their storytelling abilities are showcased front and center in this film, as its simple premise leaves it up to them to shine. Thankfully, the two are more than capable of carrying a story like this and bring an always enjoyable aspect of dark comedy to their writing. This story of two criminals getting a taste of their own medicine per se is not too innovative of an idea but the character developments and connections between them all are what makes this story so interesting. While Skarsgård and Monroe have fantastic chemistry, so do Donovan and Sedgwick, which in turn make them all such a fantastic and talented cast. The dynamic between the two couples and how the film explored how they really were not that different was amazing and made the audience care for these two "protagonists" immensely. In fact, what drew me in the most about this film is how small-scale everything was. Nearly the entire film takes place throughout the nooks and crannies of one deranged couple's house and the fact that Berk and Olsen were able to keep me engaged for an hour and a half is unbelievable.
Unfortunately, what holds Villains back from becoming a much more impactful film is its lack of depth and inability to get past surface-level storytelling. I found a good majority of this script, particularly its dialogue, to be very shallow. There did not ever seem to be an attempt at making the audience reflect upon themselves or be affected by any kind of deeper meaning. There was also so much potential to really delve deep into how dark and boundary-pushing this movie could be as I was expecting a much bigger twist or reveal at the end, but it failed to do that. Which is not necessarily a bad thing, as this film's resolution was rightfully deserved and cute, but for a dark comedy, it leaned too much on the comedy. Most of this script was fairly generic as well and I wish that the older couple would have been explored a bit more. Even though there were some basic motivations for why they held such a dark secret in their basement, I did not ever really feel like Mickey and Jules' predicament was too threatening. I absolutely recommend seeing this film to support indie filmmakers and a small studio such as this, but I was honestly expecting to be blown away a bit more. Luckily, the performances and indie tone of this whole production makes it such pure fun. The comedy did its job well, the thrilling drama does its job well, and the audience is left with a wonderful, if a bit expected, ending. Skarsgård and Monroe are especially fantastic, as their careless and lighthearted interactions even in the direst of circumstances gives this movie light in its darkest crevices. At its core, Villains is just an exercise in incredibly simple but unforgettably lively storytelling that I aspire to be a part of one day.
I absolutely adore the stylish and tense filmmaking present throughout Villains and admire this pair of writers/directors for making such a purely entertaining film. Despite me wishing that the story could have been a bit deeper than just the surface level it was presented on, there is no doubt in my mind that Villains has made its way into my new favorites. And it was also just nice to see Skarsgård's talent shine in something other than his goofy, murderous clown persona.
My Rating: ★★★½
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