Beneath the purposely clinical and emotionless sheen of Thoroughbreds is a really dark core touted as the lovechild between American Pyscho and Heathers. Cory Finley's black comedy thriller has been received rather well by critics but struggled to make much of an impact elsewhere -- is Thoroughbreds one worth digging around for?
Thoroughbreds follows Lily (Anya Taylor-Joy) and her sociopathic friend Amanda (Olivia Cooke), who scheme and blackmail a low-level drug dealer Tim (Anton Yelchin) to kill the former's stepfather. Written and directed by Finley, Thoroughbreds explores silver spoons, female friendship and nihilism, wrapped up in a wickedly snarky package for our enjoyment.
Thoroughbreds may seem like a combination of films you have seen before but it's unique enough in its own right to warrant your time and attention. It's subversive approach to the female friendship and thematic content is almost always effective, with Finley's script providing enticing and intriguing characters to dissect. It contains some great dialogue with an acidic, pitch-black bite you're not always expecting it to deliver and there's an element of unpredictability to the characters and their actions, brought to life superbly by two utterly sensational performances.
Anya Taylor-Joy and Olivia Cooke provide brilliantly calculated and fantastically calibrated performances as Lily and Amanda, wonderfully disconcerting and unsettling at every turn. They are magnetic for the film's tight 92-minute runtime, engrossing in their volatility and erraticness; they bounce off each other seamlessly and are very well matched indeed; I could not see anyone working these roles as well as both Taylor-Joy and Cooke manage. Impressive in a supporting capacity is the late Anton Yelchin, whose pathetic but ambitious Tim is infused with a humanity and humour that only Yelchin could nail. It's a fitting farewell to a talented soul and it's a touching tribute to see the film dedicated to his memory.
However, something prevents Thoroughbreds from elevating to greatness -- and almost a week later I'm still struggling to put my finger on it exactly. It may have something to do with the execution of the purposely clinical, detached world these characters populate: despite intentionally draining it of emotion to provide a stronger insight into the mind of the characters - Amanda, in particular - it turns the audience in passive participants. By enforcing a deadpan quality, you too struggle to feel anything -- all feeling is removed from the film, characters and their actions. Everything is surface level; there's little depth to it and by the time the credits begin to roll, you are as disconnected as the characters themselves.
It's such a shame that the fault in Thoroughbreds' design is also part of its strength at times. The film's production design is terrific, with excellent sets and costumes putting an effective art department to good use. Bolstered by Finley's confident visual direction, finding some striking imagery throughout, Thoroughbreds' certainly looks the part. But these glossy sets polished to within an inch of their life remove grit and anything to really sink your teeth into, once again highlighting the film's problem with emotion and/or depth.
Thoroughbreds boasts some truly fantastic performances, confident visuals and a nice tonal and thematic mix -- but by presenting the world in such a detached way, a lot of the emotional weight and heft is disappointingly absent, diluting its power of meaning. There's little beneath the glossy surfaces and pretty sheen, which stops the film crossing from 'good' to 'great'. It sure has its moments and it's a fun, intense and exciting watch -- if only it went deeper, it could be something truly special.
Summary: Olivia Cooke and Anya Taylor-Joy's fantastically calibrated performances make Thoroughbreds a deliciously dangerous and dark romp -- but it's a little too empty for my liking, polished and purposely emotionless to a fault.
Thoroughbreds follows Lily (Anya Taylor-Joy) and her sociopathic friend Amanda (Olivia Cooke), who scheme and blackmail a low-level drug dealer Tim (Anton Yelchin) to kill the former's stepfather. Written and directed by Finley, Thoroughbreds explores silver spoons, female friendship and nihilism, wrapped up in a wickedly snarky package for our enjoyment.
Thoroughbreds may seem like a combination of films you have seen before but it's unique enough in its own right to warrant your time and attention. It's subversive approach to the female friendship and thematic content is almost always effective, with Finley's script providing enticing and intriguing characters to dissect. It contains some great dialogue with an acidic, pitch-black bite you're not always expecting it to deliver and there's an element of unpredictability to the characters and their actions, brought to life superbly by two utterly sensational performances.
Anya Taylor-Joy and Olivia Cooke provide brilliantly calculated and fantastically calibrated performances as Lily and Amanda, wonderfully disconcerting and unsettling at every turn. They are magnetic for the film's tight 92-minute runtime, engrossing in their volatility and erraticness; they bounce off each other seamlessly and are very well matched indeed; I could not see anyone working these roles as well as both Taylor-Joy and Cooke manage. Impressive in a supporting capacity is the late Anton Yelchin, whose pathetic but ambitious Tim is infused with a humanity and humour that only Yelchin could nail. It's a fitting farewell to a talented soul and it's a touching tribute to see the film dedicated to his memory.
However, something prevents Thoroughbreds from elevating to greatness -- and almost a week later I'm still struggling to put my finger on it exactly. It may have something to do with the execution of the purposely clinical, detached world these characters populate: despite intentionally draining it of emotion to provide a stronger insight into the mind of the characters - Amanda, in particular - it turns the audience in passive participants. By enforcing a deadpan quality, you too struggle to feel anything -- all feeling is removed from the film, characters and their actions. Everything is surface level; there's little depth to it and by the time the credits begin to roll, you are as disconnected as the characters themselves.
It's such a shame that the fault in Thoroughbreds' design is also part of its strength at times. The film's production design is terrific, with excellent sets and costumes putting an effective art department to good use. Bolstered by Finley's confident visual direction, finding some striking imagery throughout, Thoroughbreds' certainly looks the part. But these glossy sets polished to within an inch of their life remove grit and anything to really sink your teeth into, once again highlighting the film's problem with emotion and/or depth.
Thoroughbreds boasts some truly fantastic performances, confident visuals and a nice tonal and thematic mix -- but by presenting the world in such a detached way, a lot of the emotional weight and heft is disappointingly absent, diluting its power of meaning. There's little beneath the glossy surfaces and pretty sheen, which stops the film crossing from 'good' to 'great'. It sure has its moments and it's a fun, intense and exciting watch -- if only it went deeper, it could be something truly special.
★★★★★★★☆☆☆
(7/10)
Summary: Olivia Cooke and Anya Taylor-Joy's fantastically calibrated performances make Thoroughbreds a deliciously dangerous and dark romp -- but it's a little too empty for my liking, polished and purposely emotionless to a fault.