”They wanted a fall guy, they created a monster”

I watched Stuart Gordon’s ("Re-Animator") new film “King of the Ants” at 6 in the morning and let me tell ya, it was quite the boost I needed to start my day on the right stab. I “terminated” my daily problems by 2 PM (i.e my landlord is now floating in the St-Laurent river)! I was pumped! Although not pure horror, this twisted ride was still a daring mixture of exploitation flick, crime thriller, revenge opus and slasher bonanza that uppercut me to “good shite” club! THANK YOU!

Based on a novel by Charlie Higson (who also wrote the screenplay), "King of the Ants" was simplistic in its narrative structure, yet far from predictable. It delved deep into those somber corners of the human psyche in a “kiss my grits” type of way while addressing a theme that I adore: “If you stop giving a damn about everything, you can do anything”! That “ant” analogy sure hit home (Mr. Shrink, here I come)! Furthermore, this baby thankfully didn’t hold back on the delight that we call “violence”. Say it with me now kids: v-i-o-l-e-n-c-e-! YEEHAAW! You know how some movies put bloodshed out in a “fun” way? Well, not this cinematic bully! I found myself cringing in my seat like a man-child many o' times with the extensive “torture” sequence, in particular, teaching me all kinds of dire lessons! It's official, I will never look at a golf club the same way!

Now, being that this tale was mostly a character driven piece, it pleases me to report that the performances in the shack were always "on the ball" with an endearing chemistry buzzing between the players and leaping out of the screen. Chris McKenna simply blew me away as the psychotic, yet sympathetic, Sean. This was a “star making” display of well sharpened acting knives! In addition, the succulent Kari Wuhrer was in top form, whereas George Wendt (playing an evil “Norm”) and Daniel Baldwin owned hardcore in their respective parts. A note on Baldwin, if I may. The man has a monologue in here about him, an 18-year old girl and a dog. That speech had me in stitches and to see Baldwin relish in delivering it made it even more enjoyable. Good work, Dano! Tag to all that yummy in my body-bag: a clever screenplay filled with tasty dialogue, Stuart Gordon putting out a visually stylized, yet grounded, show that grabbed me by the numb-nuts and a badass score that made what unraveled before me even more arresting...and you get one hell of a keeper!

On the minor “what were you doing” side of the mallet, the flick did lose me in a couple of places, namely via the slew of hallucinations from which the lead suffered that acted as symbolism for his state of mind. The grotesqueries in the visions either clashed with the down-to-earth feel of the film or weren’t convincing enough in their “special effect” execution to convey the warranted impact (What was that rubber penis all about again?) I also didn’t fully buy the last plot turn that launched the story into its insane last act. But I let that go fast and just went with the crowd-pleasing jamboree of violence that followed.

George Wendt is the man who brought Stuart Gordon the “King of the Ants” book to read.

Ron Livingston (Office Space) has a small role in this film.

Thanks to 'Mathieu' for hooking me up with an advanced screener of this “should be” classic.