Story: A pair of comic book writers begin to notice scary similarities between the character they created and horrific real-life events.
Random Acts Of Violence is a horror movie based on a comic of the same name written by Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray. One that I think is an easy gory read with social commentary about our obsession with violence and serial killers. Although the movie does take many liberties and strays away from what is shown in the comic (specially with character traits and situations), there are a lot of similarities and in essence feels the same.
Random Acts Of Violence is a fast-paced, weirdly short (in a world where movies usually last about two hours), surprisingly gory (I mean with a name like that it better be), very stylish, with some decent acting and fantastic practical effects. Actually, the thing I loved the most is the make-up effects used for the kills as most of them looked pretty realistic and disturbing. The mixture of colors and the editing gave me a SAW vibe and that's always a plus in my book of unnecesary opinions.
The cast is what drew me to this in the first place. I'm a huge Jay Baruchel (This Is The End) fan and having him both behind & front of the camera caught my interest. Like I've mentioned before, I love seeing actors who are usually known for something else (in his case comedy) go into horror. A genre I worship. Here he does a solid job even if he takes the backseat and lets the ever sexy Jesse Williams (The Cabin In The Woods) take the lead who makes for a likable lead. Though their characters are far more interesting in the story (and less likable). Hottie Jordana Brewster has her character expanded from the comic and she gets to do something different from those Fast & The Furious films she's been mostly known for. Niamh Wilson (who plays the assistant & appears in Saw III) is a likable addition even if she has the least screentime.
The kills are pretty gruesome (and the best part) so is safe to say that if you're squimish about blood then avoid this like a disease. There's a dinner scene near the end that reminded me of Texas Chainsaw Massacre (the original). And I did love the fact that this doesn't overstay its welcome, as so many movies just stretch a thin story for no real motive and don't know where to end.
Safe to say, after waiting for this so long, I am extremely satisfied. Does it come with genre clichés? Obviously. That's part of the fun. Are the characters paper thin? Surely. But the actors give them personality. In the end, this is a very entertaining & well made slasher for horror fans in a year where good slashers are missing.
Random Acts Of Violence left me wondering: Does life immitate art or does art immitate life?
Here's the trailer:
You can also read the comic here:
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