Eamonn reviews....Reptile?

It has not being my month since I saw you last!

My poll glitched on Twitter so it couldn't be interacted with, So by default Infinity Pool WAS going to be this next review.

Then when I booted up Netflix and typed in Infinity Pool last month, it had left the Subscription service. 

So instead I will review the first film that shows up if you type in that title into Netflix's search-Reptile.

Made in 2023, Reptile is a Murder Mystery where a Grizzled Detective must uncover through a sea of Shady characters to track down a Gruesome Murderer. 

So again, I am going in blind, So Every Surprise is going to be Genuine.

So Without Further Ado, Let's Dig into Reptile. 

The Film has two artworks, and neither of them are any good. First is just Justin Timberlake, Alicia Silverstone and Benicio Del Toro with Dull Surprise faces on a Snakeskin filter. 

The second one is slightly better. 3 bloody claw marks each with a eye catch of the above actors' faces. Better than just the actors' faces, but it does look like a reaction shot in a manga!

THE FOLLOWING POST IS OF A FILM RATED 15 FOR BLOOD, MURDER, THREAT, DRUG USE AND LANGUAGE WHICH WILL BE CENSORED. DISCRETION IS ADVISED. 

The film starts with general B-Roll of Suburban life in middle America. A man covers his pool with a Tarp, a woman is drying dishes looking on from the Kitchen. A Realtor's sign of sale is put in front of a house...their house. All the while "Angel In the Morning" plays out.

This couple (Justin Timberlake and Matilda Lutz) are realtors selling this house and as Such, involved in it's showing and upkeep. Trousersnake, true to real life, wants to fool around but the buyer has just arrived as the doorbell rings.

We cut to a Swimming pool locker room, where Maltilda's character tells a second blonde woman about car trouble she had and the feeling she was being watched.

Wait, what about the House sale? Is this after or before? When is this?

Matilda's character has a tattoo of tyre tracks down her spine. 

Great! Given that this is a Murder Mystery,  Watch it be the thing that identifies the body!

While they have a Fanservice swim, we learn Justin is to give a key note speech at an estate agent seminar, under the skeptical eye of his mother. The Speech he's about to make is themed about Survival of The fittest. 

After the Seminar, Will Greavy's (Timberlake) girlfriend never showed up, he comes home just as "Angel in the Morning " slows to 0.25 speed. He's angry that she didn't turn up at the Seminar, With her Feigning Forgetfulness and Tiredness. Will just Grabs a pillow and takes off for the night.

After a night of Couch surfing in an Empty house, Summer Elswick (Lutz), dressed as a maid finds a Snakeskin in the house. While Bill seals the Deal at the office, A Red car Pulls up outside and it's driver walks up to ring the doorbell. Thinking it's Will, Summer tells the person where she is. Will leaves the office with his buyer, but couldn't get Summer on the phone, he arrives at the House at Sunset and finds her Brutally murdered, but before your eyes can adjust to the Poorly lit scene, We get the entire Screen blocked by a Title Drop. 

We cut to a posh restaurant where we finally meet our main character, Detective Tom Nichols. (Del Toro) who is married to Alicia Silverstone's character. After an off colour joke, he notices his boss taking a Phonecall and looking distraught. 

Sure Enough, the chief has just being told he has Multiple Sclerosis, but wants to keep it a secret. As they arrive at the scene of the crime,  he brow beats a Lieutenant for dropping one of his latex gloves in an active crime scene. 

Interviewing neighbours, Nichols' attention is caught by a Suspicious unkempt man with a limp, just as the neighbour interviewed mentioned a Strange man with a limp entering the house, they also find cameras pointing towards the house. 

We cut to the police precinct, where Will was being held. Tom interrogates the man. Turns out, they were not married, only together for a year and a half. Telling the Detective that they did have an argument which makes him Suspicious of the Realtor. Also, Summer was still legally married to a Sam Gifford. But as a Suspect, Will is still Swabbed and finger printed. Tom wants to hook Will to a polygraph, but the DNA proves he's clean. 

Tom returns home to see his home under renovations. Meanwhile back at the plot, the Limping Man takes a Seat at the press conference. We cut to Summer's Autopsy, where the pathologist finds two strange things on Summers Body, First a Blonde Hair that's not hers, but stranger still, Red Paint on her Wrists, Red Calcamine Paint, a substance not available anymore. The doctor also asks Detective Nichols about his bloody mark on his wrist, which was supposedly an off screen kitchen accident,  because we need a red herring!

They find a red car on security tape they can't track a licence for. However, the car is missing a Chrome. So it's as Good as any lead. But they still think Greavy, while not the doer, still could be the mastermind, so that avenue has still to be walked.

While cutting to the Limping man Showering, and Detectives Asking all the other women at the pool about Summer, We cut to Nichols using his office computer to buy a sensor controlled tap Like the one Will has, because we need to put Quirky Humour into everything. They learn Summer had no insurance, so that wasn't a motive. We find out the man is Sam Gifford,  who not only had Previous for D**gs but also steals hair for his quote/unquote "Art"

"OH, IT'S ART!"

So Finally it's time to question him about Summer Elswick's Murder. But he is not the Limping Man, but the man who stole his hair.

Naturally as an Eccentric Artist, Gifford is a Recluse. Not only does he work with hair, but also Paint, but Lawyers up when asked about Calcamine Paint. 

When Nichols makes a call-in, he uses the Callsign "Oklahoma ". When his New Partner, Cleary asks why he's called that when he's not from the Sooner State, he learn why in the next scene. 

When we see Del Toro and Silverstone line dancing and Exchanges lines of questioning when they Dance together. Because we need to add Quirkiness, only Law and Order can be Procedural. The Other cop, Officer Walter Ridge has a side hustle of a Microbrewery with a distinctive logo. 

Let's play a game-Foreshadowing or World Building?

After learning Summer got no commissions from her sales, Suspicions of Will's Financial worries put the motive as Anger back onto the Partner, Which Will and his mother talks out of it-The Commissions went to an investment Fund, one all 3 knew and agreed to. The property they were selling was Will's mother's, so she is now a person of interest. 

While with her friends, Julia Nichols (Silverstone) exposits about a time in Phillie, Tom was accused of being corrupt, So his car was keyed with the word "Cheese-Eater" (The implication that he is a Rat!) If it wasn't for the chief, uncle Alan, who is his Uncle by marriage, he wouldn't be here in...where ever in Illinois this film is supposedly is. And he would be Depressed if he didn't have his job.

FORESHADOWING!

That night, a Strange man returns mail to Will's house, turns out Will doesn't recognise him, but he takes offence and assaults Will.

Cleary finds Summer's Telephone logue, turns out she was in the town of Limerick for 40 minutes on the day of her death. While she did sell a property there, that was months ago-So why come back?

The property she sold was an isolated Church in the Countryside. The door is open and Nichols finds the inside painted with red paint. A Tin is found and it's Calcamine Paint. Whoever painted this church could also be the murderer. 

The church Caretaker, Unfortunately tells The police the Church was painted by Volunteers with their own Paint and tools so he wouldn't know who they were.

Nichols is being going around in circles. The Caretaker doesn't know Will, Summer or Sam, the blonde hair Is Synthetic, the Phone on Summer was a Burner, but he has a lead, they find the car and they stripped it of it's red paint. And it's a Purple Chrysler Imperial, According to Mrs Nichols-hell, She use to drive one that belonged to Alan, as it happens!

Finding a dealership, tracking down a Purple luxury car, shouldn't be a problem. 

It's the day of funeral, and Will is distracted by a Shadowy figure who he chases after. Disturbed by this, he tells Detective Nichols about the Assault last night, he remembers the man is named Eli Phillips, a Man who lost his family birthright when his father sold it and committed Sui**de, with no way to buy his family home back, Phillips blamed Will and his family, for his misfortune. Sounds like a solid motive to me!

Delving into the Burner phone a bit more, turns out Summer was a serial Narc, who was ratting on all her Dr***ie clients and friends, so they find Eli's Cr**k den and question him then and there. 

Eli is a Paranoid St*ner, one who has a ham radio set to Police Frequencies, which is how he learned about Summer's murder in the first place, he's convinced Will did it, he's also aware of Det. Nichols' past.

Turns out, Wierd as it sounds, but there are 800 Purple Chryslers In City of Town, so it's hard work to find the perp, however They Notice in the crime photos of Summer's hand which is covered in marks that resemble bite marks. 

Summer's Friend from the pool, gives the Detectives new information at a bar, off the record, she tells them her ex husband,  Eli Phillips and Sam Gifford are D**g-dealers.

Will recants the night he found Summer. But the Detective get a call about one of his suspects doing a runner. It's Sam Gifford. At this house Nichols finds a Disturbing Statue of a Blonde topless Angel that resembles Summer being bound.

He goes to take a sample of The Effigy's hair...but then shots are Fired! Sam Escapes Armed through a window, But after being struck by a bullet, He's found dead.

Searching Sam's House, they find He**in, but it's not a victory. Nichols is taking off the case and suspended.

Eli is punching a door as it smash cuts to Tom trying to sleep as the builders are still working on his house, so it does looks and sounds like Eli is Punching the Detective's Door 

Frustrated at Tom's Suspension, The other Officers are such Good friends not to Abandoned him. At the bar, they see Will Greavy putting the Moves to Summer's best friend. 

Tom is given an Psychological Assessment to determine if he can return to work. He tells the Doctor he has a reoccurring Nightmare for years of being at a party with loved ones, only for criminals to break in and k*ll everyone, as Tom in his dream, cannot draw his gun. 

"Except, ever since I shot Gifford, In my Dream, it ends with me getting to pull the trigger. Weird, huh?"

Because of this statement and how blasé he was in saying it, there is no way in hell, he's returning to work. However the Precinct takes it well, he's given a happy send-off with balloons and cake with no dialogue, but being led to an exit, it's clear what the outcome is.

Some time later, Walter Ridge offers Tom a security job at his brewery. Active Duty Brewery is unique as Ridge hires Former police and Military as his workers.

Later at a party he even goes far to...offer a female guest.....for s*x.

The Chief has a better proposal, he wants Tom to Receive The Medal of Valour, Which Tom refuses, Before handing over his files over to Cleary. However, a photo of Summer's bite marks falls out so he pockets it, to do his own investigation out of revenge. So he bites his wife in the same manner as Summer.

As a Solace to himself, Tom needs to know if he did the right thing in k*lling Gifford. So he asks the Chief to match the Bite marks to Gifford's Dental Records. Which means an Autopsy on Gifford, and the disappointment that Gifford had a lower jaw denture-Meaning he was too weak to leave bite marks if it truly was him. And even he was, the denture will be filled with perfect, Uniform fake teeth. Which the killer did not have.

Meanwhile, Greavy shows the house where Summer died to the Limping man, now on crutches with a overdressed woman. They are, infact "Murder Voyuers"-People who have a Sexual thrill off Visiting scenes of murder. With Will's back turned, the model the Limping man hired, gets on the floor in the same position Summer's body was found, as the man takes photos, and having The Victim's partner show them around, OH BOY, Consider their Jollies Got. Timberlake gets so Angry,  he nearly showed the Appropriate Emotion!

So, is Nichols back as a cop now? I guess,  because he and Alan are at the firing range. And The MS has made it that the chief cannot aim straight. With the bite not found to be deep enough, the Evidence is proven inconclusive-So Alan just wants to close the case as Unsolved. 

Eli is watching tv,  when the news report of a car crash caused by one of the Construction crew Smuggling dr*gs catches Eli's eye when he recognises the young man from his Conspiracy Wall and then catches on the He**in Shipment is sealed with the same Christmas wrapping paper Gifford used. Later that night someone tried to break Greavy Realty but Surprise Surprise-no Cameras.

Then the Unthinkable almost happens-Eli tried to k*ll Julia Nichols, but SHE has HIM Cornered with her handgun. Eli is Arrested who wanted to turn himself in with info he has on the murder. 

Eli sings like a canary that Greavy is the mastermind all the time,  Summer was being ripped off by a company called Whitefish,  Maybe Tom should look into that.  But the only whitefish Tom knows is Whitefish Construction who worked on his house. 

As he is carted off he Blurts out Whitefish Construction is nothing more than a Front to Smuggle Dr*gs and Launder Money and the Greavies are the one's profiteering off it. During the Tirade, Eli left a USB drive of proof or maybe Paranoid ramblings. But it still needs to be addressed. 

Speaking of Addresses,  The sales of all of Summer's houses were put into Whitefish, but there is no info into what Whitefish actually is other than a Shell that hired Construction workers. One of Summer's Properties 15 Ghost Terrace was taken as a Drug Forfeiture, So the Police cannot investigate The house further, as it's being resold, By Will Greavy's mother,  Camille. 

On the phone, Driving away from Ghost Terrace,  Cleary tells Nichols Whitefish is no longer active, just a P.O box, Nichols believes he is being followed and he's right. But then he's told the P.O box address is shared with one other company-Active Duty Brewery and Consultants,  the company owned by Officer Walter Ridge. 

At the Evidence holding facility, we learn Eli has been a police informer for 15 years. The He**in is sealed with the same Christmas wrapping paper Gifford used, he wants to see the Dr*gs from the Gifford case, but someone has ordered the Dr*gs to be destroyed. Meanwhile someone has bailed out Eli out of jail, but remains anonymous. Peter the Construction worker, has joined the Nichols linedancing group the angle information for Greavy/Ridge, one would assume, Tom tells Peter not to even try it (As in, not to pretend he's not Involved!) But Peter thinks Tom meant not to try it on with his wife!

Either way, Bet Peter is glad he's wearing Dark Trousers. 

On the day the Construction Worker, Recosi caused the accident, He called a number 15 times.  When Tom calls that number, we see 3 people getting incoming calls at the same time-Will and Camille Greavy...and whoever is about to Merc Eli in his own kitchen!

The man in Eli's kitchen is Will Greavy...the Will we saw in the house, was A flashback to the night of the murder, where he was going to k*ll Summer, But the phonecall would be traced, so someone else has finished the job. Will demands Eli return whatever he Stole from his office. Another man walks in from behind.

We cut to the Next day with Ridge being Cryptic about Song lyrics, giving the audience the idea that he just k*lled Eli for Will Greavy. Sure Enough Eli is nowhere to be found. Searching the number Recosi called is tied to a Property Holdings called W6. The case is tearing apart the Nichols Marriage, as they cannot enjoy a nice dinner out at a restaurant, especially when Will Greavy turns up with his mother,  investors and Summer's best friend on his arm.

Tim goes over to talk to Will about W6, but we the Audience hear nothing. 

Not long after, Nichols meets Greavy at 15 Ghost Terrace and let's him in via a warrant. The camera pans to a large room showing us the Christmas wallpaper in the room beside. Tom calls the number of W6 Holdings and Will's phone rings out...only for Will to shoot Tom Dead!

BUT PSYCHE! ITS ALL A DREAM!

It's Alan's Birthday and Walter takes Nichols to one side and asks him why he's been avoiding him, which Tom lies to Walter and says he hasn't. Alan learns Tom is getting a medal of Valour after all, just as it seems Tom just got it in his head, that the entire precinct is corrupt, not just Walter. 

And his suspicions are confirmed when finds a White Chrysler Imperial...a White Chrysler, THAT USE TO BE PURPLE!

All this time it was his mentor, Julie's Uncle that aided and Abetted a Coverup so big, He thinks he can't even trust his wife! It's so big, Greavy has ordered an Assassin Disguised as a Police officer under the guise of a Dui charge to trail his house, as they drive with escorts behind,  Tom tells Julie the Greavies all have a hand in Drug Smuggling and Laundering the money through Greavy Realty, Whitefish and police bribery, But Summer an outsider to town, wanted none of this when she found out, so he had to die!

The Only ones at the party that are not in the loop are Cleary and Julia, With the plan now being Cleary taking up the case while Tom and Julie skip town, that's when Alan calls Tom to meet him at the Lakehouse to explain himself,  but Ridge just wants to Waste him to keep him silent,  but Alan knows Tom ain't no Cheese-Eater and that's why he brought him to Illinois to begin with. Tom will not Rat to Alan's Superior officers.

So anyway, Tom Rats to Alan's Superior Officers!

TRIGGER WARNING FOR SCENES OF MURDER 

So Tim, the Detective Tom has ratted to, meets  Alan at his house but when Tim excuses himself to use the bathroom. Alan has bad news-Tim is also on it and Tim is also a killer. A Unseen shooter kills Alan, then Tim is killed by Tom, he turns to see the body of Cleary at the bottom of the staircase, with Walter Ridge holding his gun at Tom, that's when a Frisbee knocks into the window,  distracting Ridge long enough for Tom to shoot Walter. When Tom re-emerges. Ridge is bleeding out on the floor, pleading he cannot feel his legs, but still crawling to his gun. Tom calls 911 when the children who came for the Frisbee saw it all. And now he can't decide whether to actually call in the murders.

And so the film ends with some time has past and Tom made the right decision to turn his colleagues in. with Knocking on Heaven's Door, playing out as Will Greavy is arrested by the FBI on a golf green, while the Nichols are put into Witness Protection and their fingerprints are burnt off so they are shedding their skins ....like Reptiles?

THIS FILM SUCKS!

How can something be Convoluted and Predictable at the same time?

Off the bat, I knew it was Timberlake's character who did it-And the Fakeout dream was just a pathetic double bluff, the cast was 90 percent nobodies, the Dialogue is just predictable, the pacing made this 2 hour film like an age, and it just wasn't interesting. 

If you are a popstar and you are in a film that's not a Musical, and who have all the acting skill of a damp fish, stick to dahm Musicals!

CREDITS 

Reptile was Reviewed, Compiled and Edited by Eamonn Bermingham (@RealEnli on X)

With Media from

Reptile 

Merengi's Darkplace

New Japanese Pro Wrestling 

Bad Movie Beatdown

Police Squad 

Twilight 

NEXT TIME ON BOGGER BOX OFFICE.....

Once I return back to Ireland in 3 weeks time,  I will start work on Red Notice as I said last year in the Black Adam review, We are not Done with Rock The Dwayne and his Bottle Filling Johnson!

What better than the film that became the buzzword to the final years of The Vince McMachon lead WWE than "The Golden Egg!' Film as this year's......TICKET TO HELL!

Eamonn Reviews Room

Well this shouldn't take too long, this month I've picked up Studio Canal's Acclaimed Room from my local Flea Market, and Since at time of writing, I was Stuck in the First Week of Hell Month over on Enlightened Towers, I have being Busy every other day between wrestling payperview results to get this out before the Christmas Special Rush! So let's get through this wonderful piece of Forgotten Greatness. This Is Room.

THE FOLLOWING FILM IS RATED 15 FOR STRONG LANGUAGE, WHICH WILL BE CENSORED, SEXUAL VIOLENCE, INJURY DETAIL, COERCION AND IMPLICATIONS OF CONCEPTION AFTER R*PE. DISCRETION IS ADVISED.

The Box art, I'm Afraid, is nothing to write home about. It's a white Background with scenes from the movie in smaller photos. But in Stark Contrast to a movie with a similar boxart I've reviewed, that of Lay The Favourite, at least this movie cover conveys emotion.

We open with a few Soundless Closeups of the Surroundings of two prone Sleepers, Before Brie Larson's voice tells the other to go back to sleep.  

We cut to the next morning, as Sunlight Shines into the Small Prefab-like Room through a single roof window to a living space with a kitchenette, an oven, a closet, a sink and bathtub and a mattress on the floor and drawings on the walls. As Jack (Jacob Tremblay) Explains he has only known Room all his life and Today is his Birthday as he Turns 5. And won't shut up about it, as his tired Mother gives him vitamins and Breakfast who looks on with a face of someone who has lost the will to live. 

And what is the Name of this mother...."Ma"!

No really,  for most of this film she is Ma and though she reveals her name, Jack never calls her anything else.

So something is very wrong with this situation,  That much is clear, but to add to the Surprise and shock, Jack is a Naïve boy with no concept of the real world beyond what he is allowed to watch on television, So he is Framed as a Unreliable Narrator, which works in the film's favour.

For instance, Ma has a sore tooth, which because of their confinement, she can't get it treated, So instead, She'll distract her Son with making a Birthday cake like on TV!

So the two live a regimented life where Ma Promotes some basic hygiene and exercise as well as chores like moving the mattress away in the mornings and back at night. And finally they make a cake, and it's kind of Pathetic, a Single layer of Sponge covered in Icing with a number 5 etched by a finger, with TV as a reference his whoe life, Jack is saddened by what he sees. There aren't even any candles, So he won't even eat it! After the tantrum, Ma Hugs the Child, After explaining she usually gets the Basics from an outside source, Which Jack believes to be Magic from the tv world courtesy of the outside source named "Nick". We also learn Jack has no concept of time when he says "Next Week, when I turn 6, I want Candles on my cake!"

After a Shared Bath, it's time for bed, but not before a Bedtime Story, and the one Ma chooses? The Count of Monte Cristo.

Yeah, I didn't think I was going to use memes on a film this Acclaimed, But~

After Singing Jack to Sleep,  we get to see What REALLY Is up, Ma and Jack are Kidnapping Victims and both are under the mercy and Stockholm Syndrome of "Old Nick", who provides basic needs and demands Sex**l favours for anything else beyond that. As Jack is awakened by Nick from his sleeping space in the closet, keying in a pin number, putting a bag of Groceries on a counter, stripping off his trousers, and getting into Ma's bed. He leaves before the next morning. 

Now 5, Jack is Curious about the world. But he doesn't know what's real and what's on TV. It seems like the Kidnapper has promised Jack a Dog called Lucky to him Quiet. 

After Another Night in Room, the following morning Ma Bites into an apple and her bad tooth just pops out!

That Night Jack Finds a mouse in Room and feeds it, until Ma scares it away by throwing tinfoil at it, stating the mouse would eat their food quicker and make them Sick. The Kidnapper, Nick is getting angry that Ma's Curious child is asking questions-Questions she can no longer answer and so she backlashes by telling Jack that Nick Denied ever promising a dog called Lucky, and that he made it up, which upsets the boy!

One night Occupying Jack with Egg-shell Garlands, Jack asks where do we go when we Dream, Ma just says We Don't Go anywhere, there is only Room. It seems that despite that, Ma is spitting up Nick's Kool-aid! When Jack wakes, on the counter next to a Defeated Ma is a toycar. she must have convinced Nick in someway, but given her demeanor, it probably won't be pleasant given the mood she's in. when she hears how noisy the car is, she gets her son and tells him it's time for a game that always play!

"Scream At the Aliens"

It's them Screaming at the Window and Vents hoping that someone would find them, but it's framed as a game for the young child. Not only does it not work but even worse the oven malfunctions. That Night, Nick's (Sean Bridger) face is finally revealed, as he berates his victim for being useless, and breaks it to her that he has being laid off for 6 months, so "This Project" may end. Ma asks if Sean can just get a new job, which causes the Kidnapper to jump off the deep end, causing, Jack who is watching all this in his closet, to audibly gasp for Jack to notice. He pulls out a bar of chocolate to bait him for a beating, only for Ma to convince him to come to Bed.

So as Punishment for asking more than what they need, Nick spends the night in Room. Curious, Jack leaves the closet to look at the sleeping man, who suddenly wakes up. This causes Ma to wake up and Freak out, attacking Nick who Strangles Ma and leaves her bruised!

The Next Morning, On a winter day, the frosted Border on the Ceiling window It's only indicator. The Jack breathes out cold air and gleefully wakes his mother to tell her "I'm a Dragon!" Ma panics and finds out as a second Punishment, Nick has cut the power to Room. It's only Now she decides to escape with her son, and the way possible is to find out how the mouse got in Room in the first place, But explaining the concept of "Outside" and "Reality" maybe harder than she thought!

REALLY?

Because, and Correct me if I'm wrong, But Did you just read The Count Of Monte Cristo to him? I think he understands what being a prisoner is.

But Instead of that Book, she uses Alice in Wonderland of all things to explain she was kidnapped by "Nick" who may not be his real name and being kept here for 7 years, But Jack is asking too many stupid questions to get a Word in Edgewise!

She comes out with it, Nick kidnapped her 7 years ago, and trapped her in a Shed, Room is this Shed, That's Shut Tight With a Keypad, a Combination only Nick Knows. Jack Doesn't Believe a Single thing, But since he was lied to all his life, can you really blame him?

That Night, Nick returns the power But Joy ("Ma") is too Depressed and Defeated to care, and in Turn Jack is left in his own mind and Imagination as Joy Bounded in Malaise refuses to get out of bed!

Some time later, Joy Does Get out of bed as Jack is watching tv, he's asking if the things he sees are real or not. When he asks if Little House On the Prairie is real, Ma Takes that opportunity to Correct his Concept of time Problem, So Joy explains that this is not the first time she tried to escape. The reason the Toilet has no lid is that she used it to attack Nick, but it ended up being the reason her Wrists are permanently injured. But Nick has screwed up by shutting off the power During a Cold Winter, and it has given her an idea! 

TRIGGER WARNING FOR UNSETTLING BEHAVIOUR 

The Plan is to fake a fever using Jack as the Patient, so Joy Boils Water to Redden the Child's Face, puts Him to bed, and then proceeds to force herself to Vomit and spreads it on his pillow to replicate Sickness. He has a note put on his person to give to a doctor when Jack leaves. He also for some reason to convince strangers to save Ma, has her tooth hidden on him. 

But Nick Decides to get him Stronger Pills and leaves, Their only chance Finished and they probably will never get another one.

The Next idea to escape comes from Looney Tunes, to have Jack play dead, So Nick would Dump his Body in a carpet, But the idea of it, only upsets Jack, as seeing Joy nearly die in front of him triggers a new found sense of Morality. 

It's a Terrible plan, yes, but it's the only one they have. They Practice until Jack is no longer afraid of being Wrapped up tightly. 

Unfortunately Nick arrives 5 minutes early to see Joy wrap Jack in the carpet. Thankfully Nick is so Apathetic and cold, he buys Ma's Story,  seeing the Death of Jack as nothing more than a Inconvenience that can be fixed,  no questions asked.

And So Jack is put into a pickup Truck by his Kidnapper and driven out of a Suburban Area, Remembering his mother's instructions, he unfurls the carpet hiding place,  he's overwhelmed by all the outside Sights as Sensations, But Sensory Overload will have to wait, But when Nick swerves his car to avoid pedestrians, Jack loses his footing and falls back, Now Alerted by the noise, Nick Parks his truck and attempts to catch the boy on foot.

Jack Bumps into a Man walking a Rottweiler and when knocked over, Jack is Snatched by Nick, However the Concerned Citizen asks too many Questions and gets Nick so Angry, he abandons Jack to Return to Room.

The Man calls the police, who ask About what happened, But Jack can't remember Ma's Given name-However in his mouth, he has smuggled out Ma's Rotten Tooth and gave it to the policewoman he is talking to.

Given Jack's limited Understanding and Shock to his system, The Two Beat Cops have a hard time finding Room, in fact at first they think Jack was either on Drugs or escaped from a Cult. But when Jack remembers the word "Shed" the colour of the pickup and how many Corners the red pickup took, the pieces come together,  much to the male cop's Amazement. 

Jack is left in the car and starts to panic over his mother, then out of the night, Joy is rescued by the female cop as Jack and Joy break down when they see each other, The Sound of their tears replaced by Emotive Music. In the cop car, Jack tells his mother he's tired, But the Reality sets in, Room was the only bit of Comfort Jack ever knew!

Jack is taken to Hospital and he has never seen that many people in one place, he wakes up next to Ma, in a hospital Bed. In just his underwater, in a sterile ward In a Multistorey Hospital, Looking Down at the ground from a height for the first time is Jarring for him as he returns to his mother's side. She explains that they were on the news overnight and their family, Namely Joy's parents are coming to meet them and take them to their home until things can get sorted out! Ma tells her son that things will be different from now on, and they will never to worry about "Nick" ever again!

A Doctor comes into Examine Joy and Jack whilst Bringing them Breakfast while giving them Sunglasses, Sunscreen and A Medical Face mask to ease The Boy's Acclimation to the outside world as well as prescribe Joy with pills for her Wrists and Sleep Deprivation, the former will need Surgery to correct!

That's when Joy's parents (Played by William H Macy and Joan Allen) find their daughter by barging into the ward, the loud noises Startling Jack. 

Jack in his own innocent Narration confirms that the Kidnapping had Destroyed Joy's parents' Marriage: her Childhood Home Sold, Leading to a Divorce and Grandma to Remarry. The Newsomes return to a Media Circus, and the cheering and cameras overexcites Jack, making him unable to talk Directly to Family and Grandma's New Husband Leon, whose home the heroes will get living in at the moment. Grandpa comes back from taking a Phonecall to tell the rest, "Nick" is requesting a trail. Jack is shown Joy's childhood room, which was kept the same way it was 7 years ago. Grandma's asks Jack whether he would like a haircut in the morning, he tells her, through Joy, "That's where his Strong is, like Samson!"

The first family dinner of this blended Family, and Grandpa is Drinking and Distant-Never a Good sign. But Grandpa cannot look at his own Grandson, Possibly due to Jack's Parentage,  Causing Grandpa to leave, and causes Jack and Joy to retire for the night.

The Next morning Jack Is Shown Pictures of Joy's high school days, as a relay Runner, Bitter that A) she was not as fast as she thought seven years ago and B) her friends didn't care enough to keep searching.

As the Feel good moment of the happy ending starts to wane, Reality once more ironically makes the Newsomes Prisoners, they cannot leave until the State can give them Safe Accommodations, While the trial is in it's processing stage. However Leon is a good man, who Despite Joy's Reservations, gets Jack out of his shell a little, He offers Jack a meeting of his dog, and Jack is about to lie About "Lucky " though he does Admit to the lie later.

Jack is Been seen by a Psychiatrist, and he's thriving Emotionally very Quickly. Same cannot be said about Joy, who is annoyed by Jack's Mobile phone and just want to be left alone, for the first time in Jack's Life,  She gets angry with Jack! She tells him to leave her alone and play with his toys-toys mind you,  he has no Idea how to play with. This upsets Grandma and Joy lashes out on the insinuation she's a bad mother, it gets worse when Joy blames her for the Kidnapping,  that if Mom didn't harp on about "Being Nice" she would never have being fallen for Nick's fake pleas of help! 

Things get a lot rougher when Joy is to be interviewed for a News Programme. It will be broadcast live, and she gets very upset by the Questions, Jack has snuck in to set to hear the interview-And the Reporter asking if Nick is Jack's Father, which Joy confirms, which leads to hard questions about how the question of his father would effect his future. 

The Next morning,  the day starts with the Newsomes ruminating over these decisions....And Joy Decides on picking the Wrong one!

TRIGGER WARNING FOR SCENE OF DRUG OVERDOSE. 

Jack wakes to go to the bathroom and pushes the door, which is blocked, with his strength,  it's only enough to see through a crack in the door Ma Slumped after taking pills, everyone panics until EMTs cart her in an Ambulance. 

Despondent and holding her tooth and lying on her bed, he gets a call from the Hospital and he's angry she would do that!

After a few Days Grandma takes Jack out Shopping to make Cupcakes when they get home. She's impressed her Grandson can crack eggs, he has done it before in Room, She's Asks what else did he and Joy do, which he doesn't Elaborate but does say he misses it! And how it didn't feel small, because Ma was There.

Leon Arrives home and True to his word, Shows Jack his dog. 

In the Time Joy took to recover, Jack has Developed enough Social Skills to pass off as a normal child, When looking at Pictures of his Mother at his age, He Decides to Cut of his hair and sent it to Her, "Because Ma Needs The Strong More than Me!" When Cutting Her grandson's hair, she tells him Ma is in a situation where It's Required that people to be For her, that Noone is strong on their own, And so Jack has a haircut...Which unfortunately got Spoiled by the cover!

Jack is playing with a boy his age when He finds out at home that Ma has being Remitted, Jay reveals she got his hair in a bag and tells her son "You saved me, Again!"

But Ma Breaks down, She thinks she is not good enough to deserve Jack, But Jack is happy that He had her for so long.

And So Jack and Joy live in a normal life after joining the real world, But Jack has a longing to see Room one for time, But when they get to Nick's Property the Police are already there with a JCB to demolish the Shed. Once they look inside, all traces of their life as captives have either being Destroyed or taken as evidence. But Jack says goodbye to his remaining "Friends"; The sink, the table, the wardrobe and  other fixtures. Then Jack asks his mother "Was it always this small?" And so the film ends with The Newsomes walking out of Nick's property as the the Police in the foreground close in to destroy Room, so it would never happen again!

THIS FILM IS GREAT!

Long before the bomb that was Ms Marvels, Brie Larson had her Breakout Role in this film, Young Jacob Tremblay held his own as the naïve boy with a performance filled with a surprising amount of conviction. Sean Bridger was Superbly cast as Nick, Balancing Terror and Being Pathetic without making the audience feel sorry for him. With Macy and Allen Providing great support in this small cast. On the technical side, The Cinematography is Vibrant despite the confinement, playing with Light contrast to make us feel what Jack is feeling being in direct sunlight for the first time in 5 years. And the score is Emotive, As a matter of fact, The music carries the film's sense of Curiosity and Bewilderment, though it can be hard to watch (The scene where Joy forces herself to vomit and smears onto and near her child, made me cringe when I saw it!)

A wonderful adaption of Emma Donahuge's Book, Nicely Co-produced by the Irish film board!

CREDITS

Room was Reviewed Compiled and Edited by Eamonn Bermingham

With Media From

Room

Star Trek The next Generation

Marenghi's Darkplace

Room was Produced by Filmnation Entertainment, Telefilm Canada, the Irish Film board, Film4, No Trace Camping, Element Pictures and Duperele Pictures. And it was Distributed in Britain by Studio Canal. All rights reserved. All Media used belong to their respective owners!

NEXT MONTH ON BOGGER BOX OFFICE!

CHRISTMAS EPISODE, ROLL OUT!

To Celebrate 40 years of Transformers, my last review of 2025 is Transformers One, a revised Origin Story of the Franchise.

Eamonn Reviews Leave the World Behind

Welcome to Bogger Box office. I am, Once Again Eamonn Bermingham, The Journeyman Reviewer. Reader's Poll Results time again and I'm looking forward to this one!

I'm not going to mince words, I'm struggling to have new ideas when it comes to storylines. (I think I'll just keep them as a device to group ticket to hell together.) So in the months I'm not reviewing wrestling over at Enlightened Towers, I'll be going in blind with a review of a Netflix Original. 

However A big-cast slow burn Psychological Horror done by 3 indie Studios?

Sign me up!

So lets pack our bags, turn off your Phone (Forever!) And Hope you Reach your Destination, as you Leave The World Behind.

THE FOLLOWING FILM IS RATED 15 FOR VIOLENCE, DEATH,  INJURY DETAIL, THREAT, DISCRIMINATION AND LANGUAGE, WHICH WILL BE CENSORED. DISCRETION IS ADVISED. 

Promotional Art is a Scene from the movie.

The Movie opens with the sun shining upon the world, As tense Piano keys jangle. The Sun rises on New York. A day that Seemingly will Start like any other. 

Except this is the day, Amanda Sandford (Julia Roberts) has Impulse bought a last minute Holiday for her Overworked and Stressed out husband Clay ( Ethan Hawke), who fears for his job amid company wide Budget cuts. Clay likes the idea of a Vacation out in New York State, but to have it, right now? But that's when his Advertising Executive wife tells her Speculative Fiction writing husband that when she booked it earlier this morning, she looked out the window to see everyone in the city already going to work to make something of themselves, but then the wife does a 180 and says people who do that think they are better than her and that she "F**KING HATES PEOPLE!"

We get Opening Sequence that's Animated to look like A Screensaver of Spoiler items as Drake sings out-WAIT A MINUTE? BARACK AND MICHELLE OBAMA ARE LISTED AS EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS?

We Suddenly come back to Amanda Title dropping on a Speakerphone call in transit to the Hamlet their Rented Home is (Yes Rented home, not Resort they own. That was a mistake Made by a TV listings magazine That suggested this movie) The Sandford Family which also include a 15 year old son named Archie and a 13 year old Daughter named Rose. All four are too dependent on their devices to enjoy the nature around them. Rose's device acts up as she was watching Friends and she asks if she can go to Central Perk when they get back to NYC. Clay breaks the news to her that Friends is not real, it's a TV show!

This is actually a Mislead to make us believe that this is going to be a "World is a Simulation'" plot. Something that's dropped a few times, especially when Clay explains his work. Which will make the ending a lot more sadder, when I get there.

PART I THE HOUSE

The Sandfords park their car and enter their Rental Home, A Well Kept, if Minimalistic two Storey Chateau, the Kids waste no time in raiding the Swimming pool as Amanda reads up on the Contract and Explores the house. 

Getting Groceries in the Neighbouring Hamlet of  Fort Comfort, Amanda gets dirty looks from a man played by Kevin Bacon, who's filling his truck with Canned food and bottles of water.

Don't mind him, Jools, he's just mad his voice over job in the UK means John Hamm took his place as The new 6 Degrees Actor-Man!

Clay is a Secret smoker which he denies when Amanda presents a pack of 20. But Amanda says he's on holiday,  he can enjoy a smoke, just not in front of the kids. 

The Sandfords next stop is an overcrowded polluted beach, where Rose sees a Boat on the Horizon and is frightened that it seems to be coming towards the beach....very slowly!

The family sleep in the sun, except Rose. And sure enough, the Oil Tanker has made its journey close to the beach as Tourists look on, However Worried that the tanker will not stop, The Sandfords gather their kids to escape what may be a Disaster. Thankfully no-one is hurt because of the tectonic speed of the Tanker.  The police evacuated the beach where an officer exposits that beachings like this have being widespread recently due to glitches in Navigation Software. 

Back at the House, All Technology is Acting up, But the kids are back in the pool, Ambivalent on what they saw "Like it's onto the Next Episode". In the garden the Parents spot two deer in the Treeline, No doubt the first victims to feed humanity during the Robot Apocalypse!

That night, there is a knock on the door. Fearing Robbery, Clay arms himself with an Art Decor Vase as a Baseball bat, only to see a man in a Tuxedo and his young daughter. He introduces himself as George (G.H.) Scott (Mahershala Ali), A Philharmonic Violinist and his daughter Ruth, Who Only had corresponded with Amanda via email, so she doesn't know what he looks or Sound Like, he tells a Story that Brooklyn has suffered a Blackout and with a Knee Injury and elevators out, G.H. couldn't climb to the 45th floor. The story is somewhat unbelievable, I mean why drive from your home to your second home, one you know is occupied? And we don't see a cast on George's leg. It also doesn't help Ruth is At Best an Elitist or at worst Rac*st towards White people.

G.H Scott tries to refund Amanda and Clay, but it's the middle of the night and she's not waking her children to leave, but George has a remedy, he Unlocks A hidden drawer in the wine cooler and gives Clay an Envelope with $1000. The Audience Is also shown there is a handgun  in said drawer.

In the Main Bedroom, The Sandfords argue, Amanda convinced that the Scott's are the Help who are here to Rob a family of Strangers in a scam. Clay trusts them since they seem to know their way around.

Heading back into the kitchen, Amanda is Greeted by the strange sight of G.H making enough cocktails for everyone, which Clay readily grabs. Amanda flatly asks for G.H's identification, AND WOULDN'T YOU KNOW WHO WON THE PONY? But it seems George has left it in his other coat pocket! Amanda is about to call him a liar, until a loud noise startles her, the TV is working again. However, the National Emergency Signal Plays on all channels. So it looks like G.H's story is true. So Clay offers the Scotts to stay, hoping things look better in the morning. And that's when the Sandford's Interrupted game of Jenga topple over

SYMBOLISM!

The Scotts take the Cellar for the night, however it looks like G.H is a lot more than a simple Fiddle Player, when Ruth asks her father about "The Client". Upstairs Amanda is boiling over Ruth's attitude towards her. She is still not convinced the Scotts are not what they say they are, since they're no photos of them in the house. (WHICH AS A RENTAL, SO NO, THERE WOULDN'T BE!) They didn't tell anyone about the Oil Tanker as it Doesn't seem like it's connected,  but Amanda is afraid it would confirm that it's all related somehow. For a Brief Moment, the TV news briefly returns to warn of a cyberattack, only for the screen to turn static.

PART II THE CURVE

The next day, Rose wakes Amanda to fix the TV.  The Gen-Zer no doubt never seen Static before. Grabbing her phone, Amanda sees news updates about Nationwide hacking until the messages disappear. Clay gets an earful when it seems like Amanda fells like he doesn't believe her. Amanda tries to explain the Scott situation to Rose, but she doesn't care, she just wants to watch Friends. Clay is going into town to buy a newspaper to explain all this, Rose goes into the garden to see a Dozen or so deer just staring at her.

Amanda decides after Hearing that Ruth is an Unemployed Trust Fund Baby who insults her job, her age and the working class in General, she has decided, that she definitely,  HATES THIS B***H!

G.H. acts nervous when Ruth tells her father about the News Alert Amanda got about Hackers. Amanda Suspicions grows when G.H.  shows knowledge of the Real life "I-LOVE-YOU" Virus in 2000.

Ruth is worried about her Mother who is currently abroad in Morroco. George is hopeful that she is on a Redirected Flight, acting the Karen somewhere in Ohio.

Clay drives on an abandoned road. We cut to Ruth opening a Secret safe room covered in family photos to vape in. George checks on his neighbours home which seems abandoned. None of his messages to his wife have being received. He picks up his gun which was resting on a how to play violin manual for beginners-Something a Philharmonic Violinist should not have.

We get three slow burn reveals at the same time, cutting back and forward to build tension. G.H. investigating  wet decking on the neighbour's house, Rose and Archie going into the woods to find deer. Clay finds a panicked immigrant who speaks only Spanish. G.H. finds a walkie talkie in a House Gutted through the garage with no car to be found. The kids find a Secret bunker in the woods and break into it. Each of them find something disturbing to end the scene. Archie makes out the bunker points to exactly Rose's window to scare his sister, who bumps her head from Archie's prank. G.H finds a Mummified body in beach sand before seeing dozens of bodies on the beach. And Clay sees in town a Drone Dropping hundreds of Blood red Pamphlets onto his car. 

G.H Scott can't believe his eyes. EVERYONE IN TOWN IS DEAD! And now a plane crashes out of the sky, George covered in seawater by the impact he dodged.

G.H returns and lies about what he saw to Ruth as the protective father he is, Making her leave so she can fetch him a change of clothes. G.H confesses somewhat to knowing more than a Concert Violinist should know. That's when a Piercing screech rings out causing pain to all the humans.

THE SCREEN TURNS BLOOD RED!

PART III THE NOISE

After Regaining their Facilities, sometime later, everyone starts playing the blame game. Amanda sees through G.H's protecting his daughter, and Ruth plays the Race Card. Amanda remembers Seeing Kevin Bacon buying water and tinned goods. Turns out G.H knows him as Danny, a Contractor who's worked on his house before. 

Clay returns, Shaken from what he saw. He had picked up a Pamphlet which the drone was dropping. We now see it's a symbol of a snake and some Arabic Text. Archie knows it says "De**h to America " because he plays Call of Duty.

The Sandfords try to leave for New Jersey, but George thinks there is something wrong with all this. If this was a Terrorist attack they would be dropping Manifestos in English. No, this feels like a cover up. Amanda wants to leave for her Family's safety and Ruth's not exactly sad to see as she Puts it "Those People" leave.

As they drive towards the State line, Rose hears Sirens. Up ahead is a Blockade of Electric cars, All Abandoned. Amanda discovers all the cars are brand new Teslas fresh from a dealership.  That's when another self driving car, joins the Blockade, then another, then another Tesla joins the Blockade that stretches for miles!

Told ya Muskolini was Creating Weapons for The Tiny handed Tyrant!

The Sandfords return to the Summer home and it's only gonna get worse!

PART IV THE FLOOD

The rain hits the holiday home as everyone is Distraught, but with Archie p**ving on secret bikini pictures of Ruth, and Ruth sharing her Mara***na vape with Clay. The two families are slowly bringing out the worse of themselves.

George Reveals that he is in fact, not a spy, or government agent, but a banker, a banker who may have dealt with the Illuminati as his clients. But G.H tells the Story about how his client would profit from causing WW3 In a Jokey manner, causing Amanda not to believe him.

Rose Wakes up Archie, because she's still Upset she may never find out how Friends Ended. More Irritated on being Woken up than anything, Archie tells his sister rightfully that she should start caring about Real Things. Rose says she'll about to do something to get what she wants! 

Back at pookside, Clay tells Ruth about the Mexican Woman who begged him for help, he then tells her finally about the Oil Tanker Beaching itself. To add to the Confusion, Flamingos land and nest onto the surface of the pool.

WHAT KIND OF STRONG SH*T IS IN YOUR VAPE, RUTH?

In a music room, Amanda and G.H are Dancing to Records that leads to a slow Dance. To stop this from being a seduction, G.H backs up, and expresses that he loves and misses his wife, even though he is very certain that she is Dead. It's possible in the eyes of Amanda, this is the only time G.H has being truthful.  Amanda tries to comfort him, but then the noise returns.

When it stops, hours have passed. The Sandfords share a bed for warmth. Archie had contracted a fever. Rose using a plot from the West Wing as an Analogy as a roundabout way to say she's done waiting for answers. In the spare room, the Scotts also share a bed for warmth, but Ruth continues to drive a wedge between both Families, why do THEY have the main bedroom in THEIR House? She also admits that she is a Ra***t, the Possibility of being the only Black people on Earth playing heavy on her mind. 

TRIGGER WARNING FOR GRUESOME SCENE

We see an Eclipse from the Surface of the moon, The next morning Archie wakes with his fever broken, but then he spits up blood and pulls his teeth out from his own mouth.

CHAPTER V

THE LAST ONE

After seeing this, Archie says he had a Bug bite yesterday. G.H says it's no doubt Lyme Disease.

Lyme Disease may Contribute to weakened gums that may lead to tooth loss but this is usually years down the road, not 12 hours after the fact.

With the Expressway Jammed with Eejit-lon's E-cars, The only way to the Emergency Room is blocked, that is, if there is even Anyone else there, But G.H has a plan. If Danny is still alive, if he's every bit of the Tinfoil hat that he thinks he is, he's sure to have medical supplies.

But of course, if things can get worse, then they get worse, as now Rose is Missing! With now being the time Archie tells the adults about the bunker they found. Archie Vomits more blood. And the men take him to see Danny, George telling Ruth to stay at the House and relay the message to Amanda. Ruth panics that what's happening to Archie is just the first of whatever God has sent to finish them. But George tells her to set a timer for one hour on her phone, promising to be back by then.

The two women find the bunker, and nothing else, so they start back at each other's throat.  Ruth cries because she knows her mother is dead and she will never know where. But she asks Amanda why she is the way she is. She says as an Advertising Executive, she sees Greed and Jealousy on a regular basis. And it sickens her. Humanity Disgusts her. "We F**k each other over, we've F**ked the Earth over and we think it's fine now because we drink from paper straws and order Free Range Chicken"

Ruth tells her they may be the only ones left. That's when they hear quickening footsteps and something runs by the window at speed, the men drive to Danny's house, passing a home where Rose is looking out the window watching George's car drive past.

Danny is curt with his neighbours and meets them with a shotgun. He tells him Archie's Symptoms, compounded with the Noise, Points to Microwave Weaponry, it'll explain the noise and the rising heat to occupy flamingos and possibly the fever. But Danny Refuses to help, not even the 1000 dollars Clay has will Sway Danny. Amanda finds A bike Trail and turns towards the Bunker to see Deer, Hundreds of them just staring at Ruth, Surrounding her. Danny Raises his Gun at G.H But he refuses to leave. Amanda returns to Ruth to scream the deer away. Back at Danny's, Clay pleads with the money saying he's nothing but a Useless, selfish man without his Technology, but he will feel even worse if his son dies of something curable. The Deer Run off and Danny gives Clay some Medicine. Clay shows Danny the Pamphlet and he laughs, saying he has a friend in Sacramento who saw a similar event and those Pamphlets were in Korean. Or Maybe Chinese, the fact is, his buddy served on the Gulf and he knew that writing was not Arabic.

Back With the Two Women, Ruth sees something in the distance something that stops her in her tracks. G.H Wants to find the Bunker Danny mentioned. Because it seems like George has Realized his client has underwent his 3-Step plan to profit from overthrowing the government. He explained his friend went over in detail on how he would do it. 1) Disable all Communications 2) Miscommunication on the identity of the supposed enemy and then 3) with everyone confused, Civil war and Collapse will surely follow. The Timer on Ruth's phone echoes as the 2 women see New York is being Destroyed by this Civil war. Time Really is Up.

 And so the film ends on the cruelest of Notes. In the house where Danny says there's a Bunker with the voices of everyone screaming Rose's Name. Rose had broken in,  Ate the Neighbours food and explored the house. Ignoring a screen telling her that Radiation outside is increasing, Rose finds a Tv hooked up to a DVD player with a library of tv show box sets. Finding Friends last season, Rose selfishly screws over her family to no doubt contract radiation poisoning in the forest just so she can watch A Sitcom.

 

"A BIT RICH, BUT OK!"

Actually, More than Ok! Suspenseful, Nicely Acted with Nuanced, Morally Grey characters that felt real, You may Cringe at the Blackhearted Nature, But Hopefully it may never happen, but Greed and Self-Preservation has happened in times of war. Despite my Tv listings magazine getting the plot wrong, this was still a great recommendation to get. 

The Ending may just be the Cruelest Ending of all with a point to Prove, The Next Generations if we are not careful, will inherit our selfish nature and will not be equipped to deal without help. The Last scene shows that point. She's the only one who will not get poisoned, but now she'll inherit a world beyond her understanding, and unwillingness to learn. She finally got what she wanted...and once the show is over....She'll pay for it!

A Chilling Film, Which I Hope doesn't turn from Science Fiction to Documentary before 2029!

From a Realistic Apocalyptic Threat, to One a bit more Light-hearted. Join me next Month when we find out what the hell went wrong With Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire!

CREDITS 

Leave The World Behind was Reviewed, Compiled and Edited by Eamonn Bermingham, with Media from:

Leave The World Behind 

Monty Python and The Holy Grail

Sakura Miko's playthrough of Detroit: Becoming Human representing Hololive. 

Doctor Who.

She-ra Princess of power 

Michael Rosen performs "The Hollywood" 

Leave the World Behind was Produced By Esmail Corp, Red Om Productions and Higher Ground Productions.

All Rights Reserved. All Media used Belong to their respective owners. 

Eamonn Reviews The Iron Claw

Wrestling is a lot of things to many people.

A Sport for the Athletic, a Business for Promotors, A hobby for fans, a Spectacle, and a place for those who had nothing else.

For the Von Erich Family in Texas for 3 generations, it was That and More.

The Adkisson family-Professionally known as the Von Erichs, were the stars of their family's wrestling territory- World Class Wrestling, managed in the 80's by Jack "Fritz" Von Erich. At this time, Fritz's sons-Kerry, Kevin, David and Mike were set to be the biggest stars in Texas, where in that early decade of the 80's, The National Expansion by the then WWF was years away. And in the Lone Star State, the Von Erichs were famous, they sold out arenas more than any Rockstar and had more female fans than any Teen Heart-throb!

But with great Success comes Great Tragedy, as One-By-One, a Brother had to see his family suffer time and again!

The Cover art is nice and Understated. Black Background and sepia tone lighting give Efron, Dickinson and Allen-White a larger than life presence.

THE FOLLOWING FILM IS RATED 15 AND  CONTAINS DESCRIPTIONS OF BLOOD, OPERATIONS, STEROIDS, AND SUICIDES, THE LATTER WILL HAVE TRIGGER WARNINGS. CERTAIN WORDS HAD TO BE CENSORED FROM THIS POINT ON TO GET THE REVIEW OUT.

The Film opens with a black and white panoramic view of a Ring, as it starts to fade in a shot of Fritz Von Erich (Holt McCallany) in his later career beating an unseen opponent as the Ref tries to pull him out of the corner. The Music for this sequence needs Mention as the Fade In is timed with a string section in tension while every strike by Fritz is punctuated with a Drum beat. The scene is now played in real time as Fritz had bloodied his opponent to loud Boos. He holds up his hand to signal for his finisher, the Iron Claw, a Submission move where the Von Erichs would squeeze the Head of the opponent.

Yes, it sounds silly to non wrestling fans, but it's about believability. If I based my style on leaving my opponents a pile of Butchered Meat every night, then is anyone is gonna point out that my Lil' Head Squeeze is as Phoney as A Cuckoo's Nest?

After the Match, Jack is feeling his age. He meets his wife and 2 of his young sons, Kevin and David after the show in the Parking lot. Mrs Von Erich, (Maura Tierney) Pregnant with their Fifth son, has the Shock of her life when she sees their trailer pulled by a Cadillac. She's furious that Jack would splurge so much money on a sports car with a child on the way, even if it's a rental. But Jack tells her his star on the rise and with it coming, (The title shot) you have to be Stronger, Tougher, Better, to rely on family than anyone else in life as his sons listen on!

And I'm sure This will not Bite the family in the Ass Later On, At all (!)

Jack ends his speech by saying he will win the NWA Heavyweight Championship "And Noone Will Hurt us again" - as Mrs Von Erich prays under her Breath.

We Time skip to a decade later into full colour, as an Alarm Clock wakes up an Adult Kevin Addison. (Zac Efron) His Rest was not a peaceful one, as he Struggles with pain. He shares a Bedroom still with David (Harris Dickenson), He tells his half asleep brother he's going for a run. In the Intermediate time between the 60s and 1979, the Von Erichs secured a house, where we learn they are a Conservative, God fearing family as both a family portrait and a Cross hang over cabinets of handguns and Sporting Trophies.

As Kevin had his run, he monologues his Story. He believes his Family suffers from a Curse. That his parents tried to protect him and his Brothers from it- Mom with Prayer, and Dad with Wrestling. His Creed that being Strongest and toughest, meant you are untouchable, and they believed them, and it has lead them to Pushing themselves harder, because by now, it paid off, the Von Erichs  now ran World Class and it made local television. 

It's now 1979 and Kevin, the Eldest Child of Four has more to prove because he sets the example. Despite winning the Texas Heavyweight Championship, Kevin is hurt, and hurt badly.

Over Breakfast, Fritz Berates the Fitness of Youngest son, Mike, who says he'll just have one of his brothers to back him up, if he is in trouble.

FORESHADOWING!

Fritz Being "Father of the year" says despite Kerry being an Olympic Hopeful, Kevin, the Texas Champion, and David about to debut, he reminds his sons that, And I Quote "The Ranking on who's my Favourite son is subject to change!"

During Farmwork, (their wealth also letting them buy the land around the ranch.) David and Kevin overhear Dad berate Mike, so Kevin asks Mom if she can say anything to Dad. Mom says it's their problem to sort out. And while She is right, it's harsh in Hindsight knowing what happened next.

We Focus on the other Aspect of the Von Erichs' upbringing-Religion, though that really consists of them in nice clothes sitting in the pews as others sing hymns around them. After Church, the sons return to normalcy, hanging out with friends, eating takeaway and tubing down the river, despite the Tough love from Dad and Cold Shoulder from Mom, the Von Erich boys can't go anywhere without girls congregating around them.

We cut to a world class TV taping, As Kevin is interviewed ahead of a tag match, the one where David will debut, however behind the Camera, it's David who is making Kevin flub his lines with funny noises and faces, causing retake after retake.

It's another packed Friday Night at the Dallas Sportatorium, as Backstage, the Von Erichs and their opponents go through the finish of the match. As David gets the win on his professional debut, Fritz looks on in the wings with a critical eye and a wry smile.

As always after the matches, Girls Gaggle at the carpark wanting Autographs, until one woman, Pam (Lily James) is a bit more abrasive than the easily rattled blushing schoolgirls that usually ask for eight-by-tens. Kevin's mind is miles away, but is when she asks him out to dinner, it surprises him.

In Fritz's office, Bill Mercer, the Announcer has good news for Fritz, ESPN has offered A national television deal to World Class over the WWF, with promises from the other NWA territories to bring in stars to Texas for this show on a weekly basis, the only thing that will seal the deal with the other Heads of the Territories, is a Texan World Champion, and with Kevin as the State's Champion, He's a Shoe-in for the job.

Meanwhile Kevin and Pam are on a date in a diner, when a fan comes up from autograph, which Kevin signs. Pam asks him, if he really is that Famous, Kevin laughs it off by saying only in Texas-They use to be on the Road, but not as much Since they got the TV show. Pam outs herself by not being a fan, by asking if wrestling is fake, which Kevin is offended by, Pam backtracks by asking him instead what does he want in life, to which he immediately says "World Heavyweight Champion" without hesitation. He explains easily to Pam the Territory system of the World's Championship (SAVES ME FROM DOING IT!), and the Hierarchy of the separate territories heavyweight champions, but he equates his belt to having a worthless accolade on a office worker's résumé that's only really good for promoting yourself before All others up the chain of command. That's All He Wants (What Fritz Wants!) To be the best and have his family with him. Pam is more straight forward-She wants to settle down and start a family, and Kevin is all for it- He'll spring for their own ranch and have his brothers live there until they get married! Pam laughs it off by saying Kevin has Big Brother Syndrome-He wants to take care of everyone. Kevin reveals a secret to Pam, he's not the oldest brother. When he was 5, his older brother, Jack Jr died. Though he doesn't remember how, he was too young to process and Grieve. Pam gets up from her chair and hugs him. He says it's because of the family Curse!

The utterance of a Family Curse confuses Pam. And Kevin doesn't fully buy it either, but you see as I said above, the Adkisson family changed their name to Von Erich to play German Heels, which was Fritz's mother in law's name, who themselves had Woe-Be-Tied to their name. And by taking their name, Fritz believes they took the Curse Wholesale.

Pam believes that we make our own luck in life. Something Kevin starts to believe when he visits his father, who has Good news-The World Champion, Harley Race-is Coming for a limited Run in World Class- And it's Gonna be Against Kevin!

By Virtue of winning the State championship recently, NWA must honour giving any new state champion by offering a world's title shot. Despite Fritz's Success, he was never world's champion, So the Pressure is intensified.

Harley Race (Kevin Afton) is on his Fourth Reign as NWA World's champion, he is a Formidable Island to himself, as Future Greats like Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes and Tommy Rich all want what he wears on his shoulders-the National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Championship.

It's the night of the Pilot on ESPN with the main event match packing the Sportatorium to it's rafters. Kevin is granted a match with Race...A NON-TITLE MATCH! Harley was a well respected wrestler because he made it look real, and he didn't suffer fools gladly, if you were in a match with Harley, he was never going to put up with gimmicks or Silly moves, Or the Beating you took was going to be worse! Keep in Mind Kevin had being hiding Injuries since the First Scene, and Being thrown to the Outside concrete floor is Not Helping Matters. Kevin can Barely Get in the Ring to Answer the 10 count. Despite a heroic Showing, the plan was changed without the Von Erich's approval, from a Straight loss by Pinfall to a Disqualification Win. David breaks it up and hands Kevin a Microphone to cut a promo, But Kevin's Gasping worries Fritz so David grabs the mic to finish the promo, And it saves the family rep.

Backstage David is sitting with Kevin with his ribs taped, when Fritz comes in all Angry. Kevin explains Harley changed the Toss to the Outside Shot without his knowledge. It was Suppose to be over the Middle Rope, not the Bottom Rope, Meaning Kevin Could not React in time, Fritz checks if the injuries are real, and concludes the NWA are testing Kevin in the same way he was, and why he believes the promotion has a Vendetta against his family! He's happy about what David did, and the company want him to tour.

When Fritz leaves, Kevin Tears into David on Stealing his Thunder.

Meanwhile Kerry Von Erich (Jeremy Allen-White) is Training to Represent America in Discus in the 1980 Moscow Olympics. Of course for those who don't remember or are too young to, That was the Year of the American Boycott, in protest of Russia invading Afghanistan. This causes Fritz to break-down Further in his mind!

Still they welcome Kerry Home with a banner and a Barbecue and the Brothers play some football with Dad to let go of some steam...Though the Tackles get rougher and Mike gets more flak against him!

During Dinner Which is the first Time the Family Meets Pam, Kerry asks when Kevin is getting his Title rematch. There is silence, until Dad says he's working on it! Kerry changes the Subject and asks Mike about his Music. Turns out Mike is very Adept with many instruments...A Trait, Mrs. Von Erich tell us comes from Fritz, He had a Music Scholarship, but gave it up for Football ("Everyone Knows there is No Future in Music!") So Even Upon that statement, Mike says his Band has a Gig at the local College Grounds, Mom says absolutely not...So Mike sneaks out that night with help from his brothers and Pam. Mike plays his gig, While Kevin and Pam sneak out for "Privacy" in their truck. But Kevin has a Confession...It will be his first time!

Sometime later Fritz is watching Wrestling on tv and Sees Ric Flair has won the world's title over Kevin's Rematch. This infuriates Fritz to no end, who convinces Kerry to join the Family Business ("They took the Olympics away from you, just like they took Football from me, the World Keeps Wanting to take from us, and I AM SICK OF IT!")

And it couldn't have come sooner, as With Kerry in tow, there is now a three man team that can square off with the Fabulous Freebirds and Catapult All Six men into Southern State Urban Legend, Both for Sublime In ring Action, Outrageous Storylines and C**aine-fuelled Wild Behaviour-But Despite The latter, the Money Stacks Up, Kevin and Pam Buy a House and Fritz pushes his sons further. And though the World's Title is Forever out of the Von Erich's Reach, Thanks to ESPN And Wrestling Magazines They gain every bit of National Fame. It's the family's Best Year in 1983, When the 3 Brothers win the Six-Man Tag Team Championships from their Rivals, The Freebirds.

After the Match, Fritz gets into the ring and despite the Celebration, He can't leave it alone!- He calls out NWA President Sam Muchnik By Name and announces That David will be World's Champion, Then Kerry, then Kevin.......AND THEN MIKE!

Fritz has become every bit of the monster he hates, he has On National Television, taken away the thing Mike Loves!

David Whispers to Kevin "I don't think Dad Meant to say I get the Belt First", only for Fritz to turn and ask if there is a problem, as the screen fades to black. 

As the screen fades back in, Kerry Is injecting himself, as the Three brothers line up to hear Dad's News. David is getting the Title shot against Ric Flair, however Due to his Outburst on TV, David will fight Flair In Non Title matches all over the country and then take a tour of Japan. He then takes a knee and passive Aggressively states the others "Did their Bit" to push David Up and to do more of it!

We Cut to some time later, at Kevin and Pam's Wedding and everyone is celebrating...until Kevin finds David in the men's room vomiting blood. Kevin asks David to Slow down, But David wants the world title first. To wit, Kevin says Dad will only push harder when he wins it. Kevin Suggests David not go to Japan. He tells him he forgives him for what happened during the Harley Race match and tells him he loves him. He loves being in the ring as a family. It's the only thing that matters....to him, NOT DAD! He was going to give this speech later in front of everyone but he lets David know he has a Surprise-Pam is Pregnant! And David is so happy he's going to be an uncle!

David would never meet the baby.

On February the 10th, 1984, David Von Erich was found dead in his hotel room in Japan. The cause of death was a Ruptured Intestine Due to Diverticulitis. He was only 25.

When Fritz tells Kevin the news, he pretends not to know. In another Display of Toxic Masculinity , Fritz rips the Sunglasses off Kerry to make sure noone sees any of his sons crying, he also calls the Death "The lord's work" upsetting Mrs Von Erich in her room. Kevin finds a Postcard addressed to him from David from Japan Written days before, David Oblivious to his Sudden demise later, he wrote saying that The Japanese thought David was Kevin and how he can't wait to have Kevin over here with him. He can just tell this all this himself, because by the time the letter is deliver he should be home by now. And yes David Returns to Texas as a hero.... but not like this!

Pam finds Kevin in the bedroom he and David shared all their life. Beaten up about the death. That night on the porch, Dad says David's title shot is In his hands and a Von Erich WILL Face Ric Flair at Parade Of The Champions, But Kevin and Kerry both want it, So the only fair way to settle it, is for Fritz to flip a coin. It spins in the air and the screen fades to black.

Time skips to Backstage and we see wrestling boots, given Kevin wrestled Barefoot all his career, it's Kerry who won the coin toss. At home, Mom watches the match, but she is not alone, as David's Ghost is sitting on the stairs, until she turns her head when she feels she's being watched.

Kerry with David's name emblazoned on his jacket, defeats Ric Flair and becomes world champion.

Kevin finds Kerry In The kitchen in the dark drinking and still not believing he won. He tells Kevin he going for a ride on his motorbike. As Kevin sits and wonders what's next for him, Tragedy strikes again, when a drunk Kerry can't see straight.

He cut to the aftermath of the accident, where we are spared to what also happened to Kerry's Severed Foot. The Urban Legend is Kerry's Foot was Reattached via surgery and was told not to put pressure On the foot, only to get on a Push Pedal motorcycle, he started the bike with the injured foot, speeds off one direction while the Foot flew in the opposite direction! Kevin is registering His Son Marshall's Birth certificate he wants to register his name as Adkisson. He wants to give his son the choice later on, but in truth, he's afraid of the Curse.

Kevin and Kerry are training Mike, but Mike doesn't have it at all, so when Mike is thrust into the Limelight he twists his wrist while landing during a Dropkick.

What was Supposed to be a Simple shoulder surgery, has become a life or death situation. Mike had come into Hospital with a 200° fever and is now in a coma, Due to Toxic Shock Syndrome. Kevin is rattled that 3 tragedies have hit them in 3 years as Pam tries to calm her husband down. If he wants someone to blame, blame Fritz. At Home Kevin is too despondent to care for the baby.

Mike Pulls through and the family arranges a press conference. Mike had Suffered a Brain injury and nerve damage, all the while Fritz does nothing but stares at Mike as he always does.....As a Disappointment!

The Family Dinner Since Mike's Recovery happens and the mood is tense, the cries of the baby Breaks the Silence. Professionally Kevin is now treated as a Midcarder, too low to challenge for belts but important enough to build new stars. In a tag match were his "Cousin" Lance (Lance was an unrelated Bodybuilder that Fritz hired solely to replace Mike "in the family", as claiming him to be a cousin will not make the family lose face!) did all the Work (A Cameo by Then AEW World champion Maxwell Jacob Friedman) Kevin retires to a ramshackle Bedsit in a tour truck. 

Kerry has good news, he's fitted with a Prosthetic foot, but the joy is soon diminished when he can't walk normally, let alone wrestle. Mike is found by mom staring blankly at a painting they had for years. Mom says that she painted it, it's a picture of her childhood house. Mike asks why did she stop painting, if she was so good. She says she "Forgotten the reason", But given what happens in her final scene, it was no doubt Strongarmed by Fritz wanting her to just be a wife and mother. Mike blurts out "I'm not David!" He knows that he could never replace David, in the ring or in anyone's eyes. That night Mike plays in his beloved guitar, but the nerve damage is too much, as Kerry is Frustrated during a training match with Kevin that his body is not doing what he tells it too. Kevin is trying to tell him to slow down to take the accident as something greater than himself telling him to take it easy, to which Kerry replies with "So Dad Can give you all his love?" Kerry is lying on the Mat helpless until Kevin helps him up. All the while behind them a faint light passes them, it's Mike walking in the dark with a sleeping Bag and a lantern. 

TRIGGER WARNING FOR SUICIDE

We hear his last words from his suicide note he left.

After a long search by Family and Police, on April the 12th 1987, Michael Von Erich's body was found in a field wrapped in a sleeping bag. The cause of death was determined to be an overd*se of Sedatives. He was 23.

"For the most part, the casting of this film has being great, but I'm Sorry, But Aaron Eisenberg, is too thin to pay Eighties Ric Flair, and while Flair can be Histrionic and Loud in his promos, Ric had Base in his Voice, and the Woo!, the famous "Woo!" has no Oomph to it!"

The thought of a funeral so soon had Spooked Doris (This was the only time her name has being given to this point!) She has only one black dress, and she's worried that the town will think the family are a bunch of cheapskates! Pam finds her and shakes her out of her funk! Kevin doesn't know if the family wants him to stay the night, but Pam with Marshall getting Fussy in her arms argues that he should come home with her, Kevin picks his Parents over his Own Family. And just like that Fritz had what he always watched, a focused son with no baggage, as Kevin trains, he repeats the opening monologue and Soon Kevin is challenging for the World title once more, this time against Ric Flair in 1986. Who's televised jeers of "Daddy's Boy!" Sets off Kevin who enters the ring and Steamrolls "The Nature Boy"! The usually Clean Cut Milk Drinking Baby-face, has lost it! Kevin puts the Iron Claw on Flair and bursts him open in the opening minutes, causing a Disqualification.

Backstage in familiar territory, the Von Erichs think they are Screwed out of the Title Picture, until Flair walks in....happy as Larry! For the 2% of people who don't know who Ric Flair is, as famous as he is for holding the Most title reigns In History...he is also famous for having scar tissue in his forehead that's as Strong as Wet Kleenex! He doesn't mind that he's bleeding. He's Fine! Knowing he's Bleeding means he can get Drunk Quicker at the Club later!

Despite Ric Saying he'll see that Kevin gets the rematch he deserves after Growing a Set...Kevin finds Pam and Marshall at home and Retires...years go by, the Eighties bow out for the Nineties. And Kevin is the model stay at home Dad while it's Pam who returns to work.  The family welcomed a Second Son, Ross, but their new home is far too small for two growing boys. There is only one thing for it, a Return to the ring!

 There is only one problem with that!

The WWF's National Expansion has Came and went in the 80s. What that meant was when WWF broke from being the NWA'S Eastern Seaboard Territory, it started to headhunt top stars from the Territories to add to its roster, Kerry included! The NWA combined it's remaining resources into the Carolinas And it's Strongest Promotion, Jim Crockett Promotions, before it was Sold to Ted Turner to become World Championship Wrestling! However because of Fritz's constant undermining of the NWA, they decided to leave World Class to Shrivel up and die! So Fritz sells it Kevin, but Kevin is going to sell World Class back to the NWA, this angers Fritz, But Kevin learned something when going through expenses. Fritz has being cooking the books for years!

Kerry wins the WWF intercontinental championship at SummerSlam (at the time, Considered the Number 2 belt WRESTLING HAS TOO MANY CHAMPIONSHIPS!) His reign goes through Christmas of that year where all family are gathered for Christmas Dinner, But Fritz won't stop Publicly Shaming Kevin for his betrayal. Kerry is not staying-he's on tour to Mexico in the morning so he hands Dad his present, a Smith & Wesson Pistol which Fritz puts away rather than seeing if it works, given the tension in room.

Later on in the new year of 1993, after Kerry loses the belt, Kerry rings Kevin In the Middle of the night, he's in so much pain, the Ste*oids and the Pills don't work. He's being let go of his contract, and he's scared! Kevin wants to help and wants Kerry to see Reason, but he can't let his children see him like this, but Kerry rambles on saying Kevin wouldn't know how to help because he's "HAD IT EASY!" Kevin turns the other cheek and asks where he is, causing Kerry to hang up, Kevin calls Fritz asks if he knows where Kerry is staying, there is a Pregnant Pause, until Fritz says he's not getting involved in a Problem they can sort out. Kevin holds his tongue and just asks his Father to Keep an eye out for Kerry.

TRIGGER WARNING FOR SUICIDE!

On the 18th of February 1993, Kevin arrived to the Von Erich ranch, to find Kerry's car abandoned and the front door of the house ajar, upon hearing a shot Kevin ran to a tree where Kerry is slumped dead, a shot through the heart. To this day, there is an Angel erected by Fritz to denote where the bullet is lodged in the tree.

Back to the Story, Kevin stands over Kerry where he Sees his father running towards the scene. Kevin assaults his father for not keeping an eye on him. He shifts the blame onto Kevin. They fight in the dirt and Kevin nearly chokes his father to Death.

Kevin finds the gun Kerry used, in a sadder turn of events, it was the gun Kerry gifted to his father. Kevin picks up his brother's corpse and brings it to the House. On a side table. We see and hear his last words- That he can't wait to see his brothers. As Kevin props his brother's body onto the table, we see Kerry's spirit leaving the house barefoot, both his feet are his own. He walks to the river and gets into a row boat, paying a quarter for the ferryman, he is rowed to the next bank where on a pier on the proverbial other side are Mike and David. They hug and they are not alone, behind the other deceased brothers is a young boy no more than six years old. So Kerry meets the brother he never knew, Jack Jnr. As the four Deceased brothers hug they leave this mortal plain. 

A week later at the now closed Down Sportatorium, Kevin Finalizes the Deal to sell the promotion to Jerry Jarrett of the NWA, Despite Fritz's attempts to intimidate The Jarrett Family. 

Knowing my History, I just know Teeny Jarrett would have chased him out with a Frying plan and cursed him out while doing it!

When Fritz comes home, he sees Doris is busy painting. When Fritz asks if she's cooking dinner, she answers "I'm not hungry, you can make something yourself!" Showing us she has gained some control of her life.

And so the film ends with Kevin and Pam expecting a 3rd Child. And seeing Ross and Marshall play Football makes Kevin Cry about the loss of his brothers "I use to be a Brother And now I'm not even that anymore!" His sons Comfort him as they join in their game of football.

We get an Epilogue but allow me to add more information. In 2009 the Von Erichs were Inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. And by "Von Erichs" I Meant only the brothers.

Four years after Kerry's Death, Fritz died from Lung Cancer.

Kevin and Pam have being Married for 40 years and now Live in a Compound in Hawaii with their 4 children and 13 grandchildren. Ross and Marshall Took up the Family Business and The Von Erich name as they became Wrestlers Currently Signed with All Elite Wrestling. They were even in this film as Wrestling Extras!

Kerry's Daughter Lacey wrestled for TNA in the last decade, But Media Attention and Public curiosity put her on Television far Too early for her matches to be considered good!

THIS FILM IS GREAT BUT MAN IS IT HARD TO WATCH SOMETIMES!

After Shattering the Cookie cutter Nice Guy role that Bought him fame in High School Musical by masterfully playing Ted Bundy in Shockingly Wicked, Completely Evil and Vile, Zac Efron topped this Performance and Bulked up to do so to play Kevin Von Erich in Sean Durkin's Film, which he also wrote. Durkin, a life long fan of the Squared Circle, couldn't have picked a better story of triumph and tragedy than if you weren't a wrestling fan, was a story you may never have heard of. But it's also a story you can relate to beyond the framing device, with issues could easily understand.

The Fight Choreography is Top notch, it looked like You were watching archive Footage, and with good reason-Kevin and the remaining family were on board with the creative Process, we had great Character actors who fleshed out the people they were, not the stars, who The world saw on TV every week. Zac Efron played Kevin as the man who tried to please the world.  Jeremy Allen-White took the role as Kerry being the Hot blooded and Determined Son who is completely Obedient. But it's the supporting cast I gravitated towards...or in the case of Holt McCalleny's Fritz Von Erich, Completely Repulsed by!

If they had just written Fritz to be an Ogre to his children, it would not be as effective. On the contrary, when Villains are not played Straight they are usually written sympathetic, but here is the thing: Despite imposing his toxic will, for the fraud he committed to keep up appearances, outside the ring, when wrestling was not the forefront of his mind, he did love his family, and truly wanted the best for his sons, he just so happens didn't want his sons to do better....THAN HIM! And Holt nailed that to a tee, Stanley Simons' Performance as Mike, I Enjoyed as the sensitive Teen Deer in the headlights that became the lamb to the slaughter.

On the technical Side, the Cinematography was Sublime, the location shots of the ranches and townhouses are as Beautiful as they can be sombre. There are Screen effects and Graphics added to the wrestling matches that make them look straight out of a VHS tape of a TV recording. And the match action was filmed in a way similar to how Wrestling is filmed, with Close ups and Dynamic Angles. There is a Small nit-pick. The film suffers from a slight Time compression Problem, with no real Determination of the passage of time apart from the wrestling show Graphics, you would think all the events happened in the space of 5 months,  not 10 plus years. But that is a minor complaint In a true masterclass of a film. 

CREDITS

The Iron Claw was reviewed, compiled and edited by Eamonn Bermingham (RealEnli on X)

With Media from:

The Iron Claw

Liar, Liar

Loki: the series.

Dr Who

The Iron Claw was co-produced by A24 Studios and the BBC and distributed by Lionsgate.

All Rights reserved. All Media used belong to their respective owners.

NEXT MONTH ON BOGGER BOX OFFICE!

How bad must a Disney Film be, if even McDonald's won't make a happy meal to promote it?

For the Christmas special, we Will find out what exactly made Wish fail in the cinema!

If you had being effected by the Issues brought up in this review, please Consult Your Country's anti-suicide Hotline, but if you are in Ireland, here is the Link to the Samaritans Charity.

Samaritans | Every life lost to suicide is a tragedy | Here to listen (google.com)

This is not a sponsored Review, But I Think the film showed these topics so strongly, I think it should be here.

AND NOW THE CONTINUATION OF OUR STORYLINE

THE TWO DEATHS OF E!

CHAPTER 5-COMING UNDONE!

In Earth's Hell, in a Prison of Ice, The SatanicOstrich was in a more pensive mood than possible. 

That is when "They" Arrived.

MY, IT TOOK YOU LONG ENOUGH TO NOTICE DIDN'T IT?" They Said, their back to the beings who have come to beseech them.

yES, wE fEEL sOMETHING iS mISSING....lIKE sOMETHING iMPORTANT, bUT hOW cOULD iT bE iF iT wAS oNLY a hUMAN. sOMETHING iS dIFFERENT, lIKE iT'S bEING...

FORGOTTEN?

THE Glowing Beings the Cosmic Entities, morphed their featureless nodding heads to show facial cues to denote that they had a moment of clarity, before fading back into silhouettes.

(Ostrich raised the Mug which Eamonn Gave The Devil, when he had a moment of no confidence Years ago, It read "World's Greatest Boss!" YOUR MISSING HUMAN IS THE ONE WHO GAVE ME THIS! YOUR CHAMPION WHO DEFEATED ME, YOUR CHAMPION WHO DEFEATED ONE OF YOUR OWN, THE NEW RAGE! THE ONE WHO DEFEATED THE MARA. HOW CAN YOU FORGET?

iF tHIS hUMAN cOULD dO tHESE tHINGS, hOW cOULD wE fORGET?

LOOK NO FURTHER THAN YOUR OWN BACKYARD!

The ethereal creatures looked at each other, as if Ostrich had answered them in a foreign language. To the Secluded beings from the Forge of Creation, it kind of was.

wE hAVE a bACKYARD?

Oh my You! I'm trying to say it's The Appraisers of Will, it's Death and one of his Three Playmates! 

tHIS iS a gREAT cRISIS, bUT iF tHIS hUMAN iS aS pOWERFUL aS yOU sAY, aND wE wOULD aLLOW sUCH a tHING, tHEN tHE cONSEQUENCES oF hIS rEMOVAL wOULD bE fELT.

(Ostrich used his extrasensory powers to find souls. He zoned in on a soul similar to Joe-Jack's, but Different, flying around Irish Airspace. He teleported the soul's incumbent to his icy prison. 

Sitting on a Horse themed Flying Motorcycle, was a former ally from Earth-3, A counterpart to Joe-Jack, but what if he was Cultured and Refined. Thankfully this Rebel and Freedom Fighter, Yousef Commonman had the same fighting Spirit that didn't set him apart from the unhinged Farmer from this Earth. He sat on the seat of his vehicle, Nonplussed by being surrounded by a Crossdressing Ostrich and a Group of glowing Children.)

Can someone please tell me what in blazes am I doing in Earth-1?

Jusef volleyed himself off the bike, his Jack boots clicking as his feet connected with the  hewn Basalt floor. He wore Slacks, Brown ones, held up by braces made of blackened leather, that sat firm on a freshly ironed White button down shirt. He had the same face as Joe-Jack, just as you would expect, but his beard was tidy.

What was that about consequences?

sATAN, eXPLAIN tHiS, wHO iS tHIS hUMAN? aND WHY dOES hE iS hE nOT kNOWN tO uS?

Oh right, you didn't directly meddle with each others affairs during The Leader and Heavenscar before you sealed the dimensions for good. Cosmic Entities, Jusef Commonman, he's a Rebel and Highwayman of sorts, coming from the Earth-3 timeline where Guy Fawkes Screwed the Pooch by using Uranium instead of Gunpowder, causing a Steampunk reality where Victorian era sensibilities extend to Current Year. He fights against those who want to enforce these Luddite restrictions.

wE aRE aWARE oF tHE eARTH-3 gAME. mOST oF uS fIND a gAME wITH nO wORTHWHILE pERKs tO bE...bORING!

A game? Who the hell are you to say my suffering is a "GAME"?

And Jusef, meet the Cosmic Entities. Creatures who play with the souls of men like a board game, they get so wound up that they get lesser beings to observe the Flow of Time, to the point they bodge it, Causing something like say, I don't know....CAUSING DEATH TO TAKE EAMONN!

Jusef's eyes widened with shock, "HE'S DEAD?"

No not yet, he's being sent to a place we need to bust him out from, he's being Forgotten, which is a lower state of existence, like a parallel universe. But that's the thing, you can only go there if you are Forgotten....but there are exceptions. Creatures like me and them have free reign to travel there....

That is all well and good but, it doesn't explain how I got here! 

wE hAVE a tHEORY. wE bELIEVE a pERSON oF tHIS iMPORT hAS aN iMPACT oN hIS wORLD. sO mUCH  sO, tHAT rEMOVING hIM mEANS uNDOING hIS ACTIONS, sEALING tHE wORLDS fROM eACH oTHER iNCLUDED!

Wait does that Mean any enemies we've defeated would return from the dead?

No....they would stay dead, and even then, Master Control would not Rise to the peak of her because, the Earth 2 Eighties Lad Di....oh no!

What?

Eamonn doesn't kill all his enemies, they are given a chance to change and those you can't...

aRE REMOVED fROM pLAY!

(Somewhere in some back alley, there is a crack in reality, two figures, "removed from play" ventured from the Discard Dimension.)

THE TWO DEATHS OF E CONTINUES IN JANUARY!