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The Locusts (1997)
Rate:
5
Viewed:
11/23
11/23:
To summarize what The Locusts is about, Earl said it perfectly:
"Well, I can see you're determined. One thing, though...people here, they like things to stay the same, mostly.
As bad as it may seem, the way things are around here's the way she wants them. You'll have a hell of a battle
on your hands if you try and change them."
So, what does Clay Hewitt do? He goes to fuck it up. The result is: Flyboy and his mother are dead. Given that
the plot takes place during the 50's, he didn't know any better, so I'll give him a pass. On the other hand, if
Clay left the situation alone and minded his own business, there's a 100% chance they stay alive and life will
be just like before, even if it isn't perfect.
More of a Midwestern than a Southern Gothic because of the Kansan setting despite being shot on location in Texas,
the movie isn't terrible, symbolisms and all, but nothing happens for the longest time. Why
Chinatown worked is that there were a lot of bones thrown out, allowing me
to absorb the characters, the language, and the cinematography. The Locusts? It's been a lot of drinking
and smoking. That's it which isn't good enough. Even the bull castration scene isn't my idea of "oh, yeah...this
is so cool to watch."
Doing what Paul Newman did back in the day when he appeared in
The Long, Hot Summer and Hud, Vince
Vaughn is fine, but he isn't the problem. Kate Capshaw fits the part in the emasculating sense but is,
unfortunately, too old to be considered "hot" for a femme fatale. My biggest issue is Jeremy Davies. He
has made a career out of playing a retard many times, and here he does it again. I'm telling you:
it's...really...tiresome.
All in all, The Locusts needs to be shorter by half an hour, and it'll play well this way.