A recent trend in the horror genre has been an uptick in cult nightmare films. In particular, Ari Aster has excelled in this subgenre with his last two films, Hereditary and Midsommar. These films, and others like them, play on some of our deepest fears of falling prey to the clutches of an evil, heartless clan. The idea of losing a loved one to one of these sects only deepens the terror that they hold on us. Red Handed falls right into line with films of this ilk. Unfortunately, it fails to deliver on many levels.
Red Handed kicks off with Lou (Michael Madsen, Reservoir Dogs, Kill Bill), a car mechanic, being seduced by a beautiful, young woman who comes to his shop looking for some auto work. After being led away to a remote location, Lou is ambushed and murdered by a group of sadistic mountain folk. His death brings his three sons, Peter, Duffy, and Gus (Ryan Carnes), and their families together to spread his ashes in the Oregon mountains. After arriving at their Uncle Reynold’s (Michael Biehn, Terminator, Aliens) luxurious riverside cabin, we begin to suspect all may not be as it seems in the idyllic mountain community.
We also learn that Peter (Owen Burke, The Town), who has been estranged from his brothers for much of his life, suffered severe childhood trauma in this same area, which led to an extended stay at a mental institution as a child. It is only when a similar incident occurs here to Duffy’s (Christian Madsen, Divergent, and son of Michael Madsen) son, Louie (Frank Peluso 3) that we learn the true extent of Pete’s trauma. The three brothers must then put aside their differences in an attempt to rescue Louie from the local child-stealing cult.
The film is beautifully shot. Cinematographer Jeremy Baron does a fantastic job of capturing the beautiful scenery in rural Oregon. Unfortunately, writer/director Frank Peluso too often seems to want to transition from one scene to the next without much connective tissue. The bones of a good story are there, but the film feels too rushed and does not put sufficient effort into explaining some of the key plot points. The viewer is too often forced to fill in the blanks of what is a terribly underdeveloped screenplay.
The bleak, dark tone of Red Handed feels appropriate, given the subject matter, aided by a terrific, unnerving score. But the film just feels drab and overly bleak, due in part to the film’s lighting and multiple extended periods of silence. There are no moments of levity, save a Harry Potter versus Peppa Pig debate between young Louie and Pete. The performances, with the exception of Burke’s and the too-brief elder Madsen’s, are just too wooden and stiff. In what already begins to feel like a slog 20 minutes in, the work being done here does the film no favors. Not to mention the problematic depiction of women throughout, which I won’t even get into. The final sequence is just a mess, with zero emotional resonance. There is a reunion between two characters following the big finale that lands with a tremendous thud. We have no reason to care for these characters and, thus, it falls flatter than flat. That is the film in a microcosm.
I went into Red Handed excited by the prospect of Michael Madsen and Michael Biehn in a thriller together. The premise seemed promising and intriguing enough, with thoughts of other exhilarating kidnapping dramas such as I Know My First Name is Steven and The Lovely Bones. It quickly became apparent that Red Handed would hew closer to Ari Aster’s recent movies, but alas it fell well short of that mark. There are certainly much worse ways to spend ninety minutes in front of your television, but I can’t in good conscience recommend this terrifically shot, yet ultimately disappointing affair.
Red Handed is now available on DVD and Digital from High Octane Pictures.
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