ASSASSINATION NATION (2018)

Written & Directed By: Sam Levinson 
Cinematography By: Marcell Rev 
Editor: Ron Patane 


Cast: Odessa Young, Joel McHale, Hari Nef, Abra, Suki Waterhouse, Colman Domingo, Maude Apatow, Bella Thorne, Anika Noni Rose, Kathryn Erbe, Bill Skarsgard, Danny Ramirez, Cody Christian, Jennifer Morrison 


After a malicious data hack exposes the secrets of the perpetually American town of Salem, chaos decends and four girls must fight to survive, while coping with the hack themselves.


This film is obviously not for the easily offended as it warns you in the beginning with a preview of triggers that happen in the film.

This is a film that feels like it is outrageous only because it wants your attention. It’s feels lien watching not only a first film but one made for teenagers by teenagers by someone slightly older who wants to be down and appeal to them. Yet seems to lose it’s way. As it has an attention deficit problem and gets distracted or constantly wants to show off it’s style instead of focusing.

There seems to be a message here that wants to come out. But it is not subtle and is heavy handed. It tries to tell that story through a kind of exploitation that itself cheapens the material by acting like that is the only way the story can be told. That still over sexualizes and fetishizes the female characters. Then tells the audience that they should be allowed and that if it makes you uncomfortable you are the problem.

I can agree with the films politics. Just not necessarily the way the film chooses to present them Constantly. It feels like the equivalent of an overproduced album. Where things will be going fine until the film decides to edit a scene to death or add a bunch of stylish shots that forces toy to lose focus.

The film also gets lost in it’s Own righteousness and self referential nature. That makes it so self involved and over the top. Which eventually makes most of the character unbearably vapid and unlikeable. Yet expects the audience to make it feel like a rallying call. This film seems to poke fun or try to satirize human decency

I will admit it gets better once it gets later in the film and starts to focus on the action sequences and the women fighting back more. As the film comes alive and you more care about the characters as they face injustices that are quickly becoming fatal.

The film wisely allows us to see both sides of being accused and a victim of being hacked early on by showing men who are decent and how quickly they are turned against before the film has everyone being hacked and showing the mob mentality. That it isn’t hard to imagine with current politics and militia’s taking justice into their own hands and all they need is the right motivation based on fact or not.

As especially showing how women are treated by society. As they are constantly being told what to do and once they think or act for themselves. Many take it personally as rebellion and how any dismay seems to inspire violence in the male society. Which is what makes the film so unsettling. As once the mob mentality takes over it seems that caucasian men are the ones who are doing the attacking as they feel somewhat powerless or attacked when not getting their way. So they have this search and destroy mentality. Especially when the film goes out of it’s way in representation and makes sure most of the victims in some way represent a minority transgender, African American and female are the main focus.

As when the African American principal is hacked. we start to see the violent hypocrisy that exists in this community that is supposed to represent everyday society. As we see him as a nice guy at first who has dignity and then the ridiculous judgement of the town and it’s people over innocent photos of his kids and how easily it can be mistaken in the court of public opinion. As well as him having his own desires. Which is considered sick until the other townspeople who are actually guilty of doing worse are exposed then find themselves seeking justice as now as victims they want their power back. As they can’t handle being judged and have to hide behind masks.

Now while the film’s politics try to be inclusive it seems more to be a femanist film. Though is also sexist itself. As the message might have been stronger had this film been directed by a woman, it as directed by a man Sam Levinson who tries to be sensitive. It also comes from a male gaze that still makes the film and the actresses come across as being exploitive.

The violence is felt and feels realistic rather than being disposable. I wish the same could be said of the character as other than the main one played by Odessa Young and the transgender character played by Hari Nef. the other two main characters Abra who respectively plays more the black girl of the group of friends (as she is given no other kind of personality. Except we meet her mother who helps defend the girls) and Suki Waterhouse’s character who seems to come in and out of the film disappearing at times then coming back again and having no real personality at all she just seems there and helps fill out the numbers of the group.

Then by the end of the movie it tries to show the aimlessness of this modern generation. While Also commenting on not only Online society and how privacy is disappearing but the rise in anger and manipulation by online so called warriors. Who might be weak themselves In regular life. Even though it is easy to blame them the repercussions are destructive and more represent the individuals and their actions. When they are either discovered or exposed for bad decisions.

The film is overly stylized which even though it is impressive in design becomes easily distracting as does the film constantly as far as content. Especially when there is no clear need for it other than a commentary about disappearing attention spans.

While the film tries to Satirize society’s fear of women with misogyny or teenagers in general. It actually seems to buy into what it is preaching against at times. As it seems designed more for the audience it is preaching against with young women dressed up provocatively with guns. While claiming this is all subversive. Where it comes off as very obvious.

While what works against it is the fact that it is trying I be provocative and political which these days takes a lot to be noticed or even considered. So maybe in the fact that it was seen trying is what turned Audience interest off. They want to find their way to films sometimes. It be told you must see this film. It is important or it has something to say.

It does remind the audience of the purge movies. Where it is political while being a thriller and the involvement of seemingly a world gone mad wearing creative masks while doing acts of murder and mayhem. Only here you never know where it will end and it is particularly aimed at four young women and anyone who helped or protected them.

The film touches on a bunch of subjects and while it’s Heart is in the right place it comes off as immature and more like rhetoric molded into a genre movie. Not as subversion but because it seeks to make it feel like a video game or what it believes the audience will be into and relate. As obviously this is aimed at a younger one. the film wears it’s wanna-be cult status on it’s sleeve.

Grade: C-