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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 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 goes on 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
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, make The Locusts shorter by half an hour, and it'll play better.