Netflix subscribers woke up today with a treat delivered in the form of a combination of humor and horror with this take on the LA Art Scene. Velvet Buzzsaw brings Jake Gyllenhaal and writer/director Dan Gilroy back together for the first time since Nightcrawler (which just so happened to be one of Dan Gilrory’s best movies and Jake Gyllenhaal’s best performances) so it is no wonder that even when this movie gets tied down by moments of B movie horror tropes it still works.
In Velvet Buzzsaw we see Gyllenhaal delivering at such a high level as Morf Vandewalt, he is a relentless art critic who is able to ruin anyone’s career with a simple review. He isn’t the only star in this movie as the cast is rounded out with Rene Russo as Rhodora Haze, a power gallery owner who’s sole desire appears to become richer than she already is. Zawe Ashton plays Josephina who works for Rhodora and has taken up the eye of Morf. Toni Collette delivers a classic brilliant Toni Collette performance (Seriously…When isn’t she great?) as a museum curator turned art adviser and John Malkovich is redeemed of his Bird Box sins as Piers, the artist who is lost in the money trap that has become the art scene. Then we see a strong performance from Daveed Diggs who plays the up and coming artist Damrish who doesn’t want to fall down the same hole that Piers is in and Natalia Dyer as Coco, a seemingly young and innocent receptionist, who is getting caught up in the game.
Gilrory has established his characters and their motives which seem to be hurt each other at all cost but we never understand what has made them all this way. He forgoes any type of character development reducing all of our characters into the classic slasher film tropes.
Velvet Buzzsaw sees Josephina finding a dead neighbor, Ventril Dease, in the hallway of her apartment building. The superintendent orders the paintings found in his place to be thrown away but she sees something in them and steals them. She brings them to Morf who looks them over and calls them “visionary, mesmeric.” This all despite the fact that Dease might have been a serial killer who’s work could have the skin and blood from his victims and himself in it. No matter what they start selling the paintings for profit of a dead man and that is when supernatural forces decide people need to die for their greed in gory filled ways.
While Velvet Buzzsaw gets tied down at times with horror tropes this is still a fun movie. The lighting, costume and the talented cast will leave your eyes wanting more. The feeling of dread is present throughout the film and Gyllenhaal once again delivers a great performance.
3.5 out of 5
