[yasr_overall_rating]
Ned (Liam Aiken), sets out to find and kill his father for destroying his mother’s life (Parker Posey). But his aims are frustrated by the troublesome, sexy, and hilarious Susan (Aubrey Plaza), whose connection to Henry predates even his arrival in the lives of the Grim family.
So I don’t know who Hal Hartley is and I’ve never seen “Fay Grim” or “Henry Fool.” But “Ned Rifle” is the third and final chapter of Hal Harley’s series.
“Ned Rifle” has a poetic pace. The whole film seems to follow a rhythmic beat, from the editing to the dialogue. Almost reminds me of a stage play or a 90s TV show. The film is quirky and odd and pulls you in early on if for no other reason than pure curiosity.
The film starts off in the ultra-religious world of “Ned Rifle.” We soon find out he’s leaving this world to kill his father who ruined the life of his mother. On his journey to find his father he comes across a slightly mental highly seductive girl played by Aubrey Plaza, who won’t leave his side and stays with him on his journey. Her real reasons for being around becomes clear later on.
I can’t tell if the way the film is made is just quirky creative decisions, or if it’s bad film-making. There’s so much potential, some real quick wit dialogue, some very interesting actors and an out of the box story. The film starts out very clumsily. Good actors delivering lines poorly. Obvious and uninteresting shot compositions. Bad actor blocking, they seem to move on cues, as if they are always aware of the camera. But once the film gets moving it seems to mature as it progresses. The shots get a little better, the acting becomes a little tighter, and overall, the production value seems to get better. On a side note the music choices except for the opening is very distracting.
I can’t tell if this is just a very artistic film that I just don’t get. Or just a clever script badly directed. The script is David Mamet like. Interesting characters delivering dialogue faster than it can be thought of.
There is something mesmerizing about Aubrey Plaza and James Urbaniak. In fact there are some real nice moments from various actors. I wish the main character played by Liem Akien was more dimensional, and had more emotional layers, but I think that was just a directorial decision. It just seems to miss the mark, but a good effort. The film is good at making you wonder what’s next and keeps you on for the ride. I don’t know if the ride is ultimately worth it. The film may be an acquired taste for most. But with all the typical Hollywood formulaic films out there it’s nice to come across a film that marches to its own beat. I probably would appreciate this film more if I saw the others of the trilogy.
“Ned Rifle” is now available on VIMEO and On Demand
