THE FIRM Review

Oldman's range pretty much stretches past the horizon, but who is better to witness running around like a lunatic on film? And this set-up couldn't be a better playground for his portrayal of Bexy. The duality of public vs. private self, the boiled-over psychotic glee, and the singular use of diegetic music which leaves the remainder quiet and naturalistic on a level that borders on documentary. He is tender while holding his child and terrifying while slicing with blade. Violence to a point that would force body horror films to blush (one instance of such I'm sure is 99% viewed through fingers). He's a pitiless livewire and you are given no distraction from it.

The final sequence of this is astonishing. It features: the crew's tracked walk to a rumble where you watch Oldman switch in real time from domestic to feral, shuttlewise editing between the crew's flying bats and Bexy's anticipated dual, and a last example of body horror that would be quite the punctuation if it wasn't immediately answered by an absolutely brilliant smash cut. The film's final grace note a full lean into the docu-elements. The lads steadfast in their justifications while eulogizing a friend, before breaking the 8th wall and splattering ale on camera. Leaving you with no audio and no closure, while the screen queues black and you can't help but think about the tax of belonging and the hidden layers of meaning in "I'm forever blowing bubbles..."

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The above was taken from my Letterboxd review.