Spree (Sundance 2020 review)

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

PLOT: A ride-share driver in L.A with dreams of becoming the next social media superstar, hatches a murderous plan to increase viewership by murdering his riders while he live-streams the whole thing.

REVIEW: Reviews out of Sundance are calling SPREE a millennial AMERICAN PSYCHO, but for me, the movie has more in common with HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER and, especially, a mostly obscure 1960’s thriller called TARGETS, which was Peter Bogdanovich’s first film. It’s anchored by a strong lead performance by Joe Keery, who trades on his “Stranger Things”/Steve Harrington charm to create a believably depraved serial killer for the Youtube/Tik Tok generation. It’s unnerving but effective.

Director Eugene Kotlyarenko’s approach will no doubt prove to be controversial as the movie is essentially a black comedy, with many of the kills taking on near-slapstick dimensions, although the gore level makes it clear this is an exploitation flick, albeit a well-made, relatively smart one (that boasts rapper Future and Drake as producers).

It’s a film that would probably play best on a tablet, which would make it a great pick up for Netflix or another streaming service, with the whole film playing out like a never-ending Livestream, complete with a constant thread of comments and a viewer count. Kotyarenko also uses multi-screen and candid angles over and over, something which is a touch busy and jarring in theaters, although, again, would look just right on a tablet. In its own way this is cutting edge technique, making it a smart addition to Sundance’s NEXT lineup.

Keery dominates with his unhinged performance, still sporting his wavy Harrington haircut, although here he’s so 2020 it hurts. His affable good nature makes him all the more disturbing as a serial killer, especially one that’s a rideshare driver, as who would ever think twice about getting into his car? While he dominates, and most of his riders are bit players (except a meatier part for David Arquette as his failed DJ father), the film is also grounded by a sympathetic turn by ex-SNL cast member Sasheer Zamata (who enlists another SNL vet, Kyle Mooney, in a small, funny part). She plays a comedian who hitches a ride with Keery’s character, @KurtsWorld96, and becomes someone he fixes on – serving much of the same purpose as Boris Karloff did in the aforementioned TARGETS.

SPREE falters a bit during the last act, where it becomes a more conventional chase/ action flick, although the ending proved to be a crowdpleaser and the way the aftermath is depicted is relatively inspired and seems plucked from the headlines. Running a brisk ninety minutes, SPREE is a charged-up thriller that will no doubt find an audience among genre fans, as well as Keery’s many fans off of “Stranger Things” who will get a kick out of him playing a role that’s both similar to Steve Harrington and starkly different. It’s a fun little film that’s well worth a look.