The Movie Waffler New Release Review - Carnage | The Movie Waffler

New Release Review - Carnage


Directed by: Roman Polanski
Starring: Jodie Foster, John C Reilly, Christoph Waltz, Kate Winslet

Strained is the best way to describe this adaptation of the successful stage play.
It may have been billed as a heavyweight bout between two of cinema's most talented actresses but it's the male leads who carry this film. Foster and Winslet really struggle through this, especially in the more comedic moments. Reilly however is right at home here given his background in comedy. Waltz is a revelation, displaying a sense of comic timing made all the more impressive given that English isn't his first language.
Though only 80 minutes long, the script struggles to fill the running time. There are several opportunities for Waltz and Winslet to leave yet unconvincingly they stick around. If your movie is completely set in an apartment it better have some good dialogue but I can't recall one memorable line from this. A quality sitcom like "Frasier" could pull off this sort of story with more aplomb in 22 minutes. Polanski is a talented director so it's strange he would pick such a visually uninspiring story as this.
At one point a character vomits profusely and Polanski lingers his camera on it to a point that is just plain disgusting. Maybe he should work with Adam Sandler on his next project?
5/10