by Anthony O'Connor
Worth: $12.50
FilmInk rates movies out of $20 — the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth
Cast:
Marlon Wayans, Tyriq Withers, Julia Fox, Tim Heidecker, Jim Jefferies, Norman Towns
Intro:
… a gorgeous-looking film, and if you’re the type of genre fan who prefers poetic, striking imagery to narrative veracity then you’re almost certainly going to experience some giddy thrills on this strange, surreal journey.
For most people outside the United States, American football is a baffling sport. Bunch of blokes dressed like homebrand space marines getting into agro cuddle puddles and occasionally hurling a ball at one another, attempting to achieve the coveted touchdown, and then doing a little dance in the end zone. For Aussies in particular, it always comes off like rugby with a crossplay twist, and is largely treated with indifference or mild scorn. Americans, however, bloody love it. Absolutely cannot get enough of the thing and they treat it like it’s god’s gift to humankind. This ecstatic devotion to adult playground games forms the thematic heft of Him, an allegorical, stylish horror flick from director Justin Tipping that could have used a little more time in script development.
Him tells the story of rising football star Cameron Cade (Tyriq Withers), an ambitious young man who has spent his life venerating his favourite team, The Saviors. In particular, Cam adores their quarterback Isaiah (Marlon Wayans), so is extra stoked when the opportunity arises for him to train under the tutelage of the master. Cam heads over to Isaiah’s massive, bizarre house and begins to realise that becoming the GOAT takes a lot more sacrifice than he was expecting.
Him is your classic Faustian bargain film and the first third of the yarn is bloody superb. Justin Tipping really sells the cult-like fascination and fervour that footy fanatics succumb to and showcases a vivid, stylish directorial style. He also manages to get a career-best performance from Marlon Wayans, who is at turns terrifying, charismatic and strangely tragic. Tyriq Withers also does great work as an innocent slowly being corrupted, and our own Jim Jefferies is surprisingly effective as Isaiah’s doctor, Marco (this is extra funny considering the very public scorn ol’ mate Jim regularly heaps onto other actors). Problems arise in the second act, however, when it becomes clear that none of the three screenwriters knocking out this thing had a clear escalation in mind, and everything gets a bit samey. Yes, power corrupts and is seductive, we’ve established that, what else have you got? The whole piece culminates in a gory, noisy ending that feels unearned and a bit of a waste of the interesting potential inherent to the premise.
All that being said, it’s not fair to dismiss Him outright as most critics seem to have done. This is a gorgeous-looking film, and if you’re the type of genre fan who prefers poetic, striking imagery to narrative veracity then you’re almost certainly going to experience some giddy thrills on this strange, surreal journey. For those for whom good performances and gorgeous aesthetics aren’t enough, however, will probably look at Him the way most Aussies do American football: with indifference or mild scorn.
