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Gone

Amanda Seyfried is uninspiring in this lazy thriller, which fails to mine its derivative premise for even the cheap thrills anticipated by audiences.

The Killer Elite

It’s formulaic, but it’s also packed with atmosphere, intrigue and the charm of a veteran action cast.

Tyrannosaur

It’s dark and tough-going material, but totally worth it thanks to the brilliantly gutsy performances and the hope of redemption always in sight.

Contraband

Derivative and undemanding, but if you’re after a cracking slice of cinematic escapism, this won’t disappoint.

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Take Shelter (Film)

by Andrew Moraitis | October 10, 2011 16:04 | Edited October 10, 2011 16:06

An unsettling and multi-dimensional family drama driven by the always compelling Michael Shannon, who delivers another powerful turn.

Within the space of a few years, Michael Shannon (Revolutionary Road) has emerged as a truly exciting and idiosyncratic American performer. A character actor in the vein of seventies giants John Cazale and Christopher Walken, Shannon frequently upstages less interesting performers with his intimidating looks and sporadic speech patterns.

 

Shannon's Walken-like intensity serves him well in Jeff Nichols' Take Shelter, an indie in which he takes an uncharacteristic - and welcome - lead role. Everyman Curtis (Shannon) is seemingly living The American Dream: he has a beautiful wife (Tree Of Life's Jessica Chastain), a lovely daughter (Tova Stewart), a stable job, and respected status within his community. But Curtis is plagued by violent and apocalyptic nightmares - in which his loved ones attack him - disrupting his tranquil existence.

 

The role of Curtis has superficial similarities to Shannon's previous performances, like the paranoid ex-soldier of Bug or the fanatical saviour of World Trade Center. Shannon is too good, however, to give an unoriginal performance, and finds new insights within Curtis' paranoia. The actor captures an intelligence and self-criticism even in the midst of Curtis' deepest psychosis: Shannon movingly sketches the pain of a man struggling to return to normalcy for the sake of his family, an anxiety which is powerfully evident in later scenes. 

 

Writer-director Jeff Nichols - who collaborated with Shannon on Shotgun Stories - has fashioned an unsettling family drama. He combines a variety of film styles, which contrast to represent the growing instability within Curtis' mind. Richard Yates-like scenes of suburbia eventually surrender to intense and horror-film style nightmares, as Take Shelter builds towards a satisfyingly ambiguous resolution. Edgy, poignant and multi-dimensional, Take Shelter taps into psychological and spiritual questions about the role of the father in a post-nuclear family environment, offering another top turn from the increasingly fascinating Shannon.