Director: Pascal Laugier
Starring: Jessica Biel, Jodelle Ferland, Stephen McHattie, William B. Davis, Samantha Ferris, Eve Harlow, Coleen Wheeler
Running time: 106 Minutes
Certificate: 15
Reviewing Pascal Laugier’s THE TALL MAN is a tricky job. I have to be careful what I say so I don’t give the game away for an admittedly lazily-executed but enjoyable thriller.
Like Laugier’s extreme French horror MARTYRS it is split into two very different halves. Though interesting, this also proves to be the THE TALL MAN’s achilles heel. In order to pull off what it aims to, the film needs the first part of its story to be generic and all too familiar. I began rolling my eyes after 25 minutes at what was becoming a tiresome supernatural story, the kind that has been done to death in varying scenarios – freaky child taken by dark forces, mummy/daddy must save him/her. Not only that, but the film also needs to be marketed in the accustomed slasher/spooky chiller way, for the end product to make an impact. Depending on the viewer, it’s an impact that will divide much like Alexandre Aja’s SWITCHBLADE ROMANCE (aka HIGH TENSION).
THE TALL MAN shifts gear a number of times through its running time, struggling to know what kind of film it wants to be before a conclusion both political and poignant. It’s also brave – if a touch bleak.
Being a story of two halves, THE TALL MAN’s first part has an affect on film as a whole, which sadly brings it down a notch. The acting is a little insipid at times, with the stunning Jessica Biel (who also executive produces) turning in a performance at first wooden before improving drastically, whilst the direction and writing also fluctuate in quality wildly.
Is THE TALL MAN a celestial horror film as the promotional material and title suggests? Absolutely not. However, it needs, no, it MUST be characterised, structured and endorsed in such a way, for viewers to connect and (possibly) feel fulfilled… even if they are uneasy with the final outcome.
THE TALL MAN is available on DVD and Blu-ray now
