"Willard" – Unfulfilled Potential Makes You Say "Rats!" by Homer Yen (2003)
You'll mutter to yourself "Rats!" when you discover that there is very little horror in this horror film whose trailers promise an atmosphere of cringing discomfort and off-center appeal. You'll mutter to yourself "Rats!" when you gradually realize that the more the story begins to charge forward, the less cohesive it begins to feel. And you'll exclaim "Rats!" when you see with what kind of animals the creepy but affable Willard (Crispin Glover) develops a psychic bond.
Despite some of these disappointing elements, "Willard" is a unique option for the 30-somethings who are either looking for a strange offering or for those who have wondered how Crispin Glover might carry himself in a leading role. We've been endeared to him from supporting roles like the villainous Silent Thin Man from "Charlie's Angel's" and as the socially inept father from "Back to the Future." And, his performance as the title character is the best thing in this film.
With his chiseled facial features, his sunken eyes, and his lurking demeanor, he affects a ghostly presence that borders on the sinister. And, with his pasty complexion and his staid black suits, he looks like an undertaker that really, really enjoys his work environment. But what makes him especially eerie is his brooding personality that he tries so desperately to suppress. And that's not easy given the anxiety he suffers as a result of his insufferable mother (Jackie Burroughs) and especially his irascible boss (R. Lee Ermey).
Both these characters add tremendously to the dark feel of the film. The mother, virtually on her deathbed, looks to be afflicted with gangrene and is wrinkled almost beyond recognition. It's the type of woman that only a son can love. Meanwhile, the boss is spirited and loathsome in that stereotypically barking drill sergeant kind of way. He lives to make Willard's life a living Hell. We can't wait until he receives a little bit of justice.
The film is basically one big setup when Willard finally succumbs to his bubbling anger and unleashes his furry allies upon his boss. As such, this film would have been better as a focused character study where we see Willard move from milquetoast to provocateur. However, as he begins to orchestrate his payback, we begin to feel distracted by two elements of the film's story.
One loopy angle is a sort of power clash that develops between Willard and a disapproving rodent named Big Ben. This evolves into a life and death struggle featuring knives, mousetraps, and hundreds of angry rats. The other is that while the atmosphere is appropriately dark, there is a noticeable lack of dread. It's stylish; it's gothic; but it's not frightening. There is a scene in which an unlucky cat finds its way into Willard's home only to discover that he is outnumbered 10,000 to 1. But for the most part, we feel that we've been exposed to unsanitary conditions and need to wash our hands with soap afterwards.
In the end, you'll like the performances of the human characters, especially that of Glover's. However, the rodents do not live up to their scary promise. And, while it has great visuals and a strangely affecting ambience, it manages to achieve the feel of a better episode of the Twilight Zone rather than its real goal of being a cult classic. Rats!
Grade: C+ S: 0 out of 3 L: 1 out of 3 V: 2 out of 3
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