Mia Wasikowska, Nicole Kidman, Matthew Goode star as the twisted family in this tale of not-so-secret secrets, ambiguous family quarrels and atmospheric tension laid on so thick it ceases to disturb after the first 10 minutes. I never thought a film about a serial killer would be boring. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned over my years of reviewing, it’s that I can always count on surprises. Unfortunately, there are no surprises in Stoker. Uncle Charles (Goode), Sister-in-Law/Mom Evelyn (Kidman) and niece/daughter India (Wasikowska) are strange from the get-go, and with no character development there’s no intrigue. It’s simply an endurance test ‘til the not-so-climactic climax.
Stoker tries to be a Hitchcock tribute with it’s coming-of-age story for psychopaths. Pity it’s so dull. Everything. Is. So. Slow. A meaningful slowness? Hardly. More like a pretentious bit of showmanship on the part of director Park Chan-wook. His “Vengeance Trilogy” (Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Oldboy, Sympathy for Lady Vengeance) are genre classics that use the same sort of cinematic style, but to greater effect.
