Stoker - Stylised but a little boring

What can I say about ‘Stoker’. Well for a start it has an impressive cast, a well regarded foreign director and producers such as Ridley Scott (Prometheus, American Gangster) and Tony Scott (Top Gun). Interestingly this doesn’t translate into the world’s most enjoyable film.

On the other hand, it is beautifully stylised and it’s clear even from the opening credits that Chan-Wook Park (Oldboy) is meticulous in his direction and attention to detail. Park also paces the film well, based on the content he has to hand, but this is where I believe the movie falls a little short. Once we are shown the true nature of some of the films characters, the mystery around the motives of their actions aren't enough to keep the audience sufficiently engaged for the remainder of the film.

The story begins with the death of Richard Stoker, the husband to Evelyn (Nicole Kidman) and father to India (Mia Wasikowska) in a small country town. It’s apparent that Evelyn and India have never had the closest of relationships and that India definitely preferred time with her father.  As a consequence the tension is very apparent at Richard’s funeral. Enter Uncle Charlie (Matthew Goode), Richard’s travelling brother, that neither Evelyn nor India have ever met, seemingly because he’s spent the last two decades abroad in Europe. Charlie is charming, good looking but a little off centre, giving us the feel early in the film that there’s more than meets the eye with this recently returned relative. It soon becomes obvious that Charlie has an ulterior motive in staying with the Stokers and it’s very apparent that it has something to do with young India. Charlie stays on at the Stoker residence after the funeral and it’s here where the mystery begins.

 Let’s talk about the performances, which were for the most part solid. Mia Wasikowska did a fantastic job of portraying the emotionally detached and confused India, showing just enough subtle changes in her character as she realises her true nature throughout the course of the film. Matthew Goode is great as the charming uncle with twisted motives. He plays something of a similar role to ‘Ozymandias’ in ‘Watchmen’, yet a little more overtly crazy in this role. And Nicole Kidman, well what can I say, she rarely puts a foot wrong and her performance in ‘Stoker’ is no exception. She displays a range of emotional states all whilst remaining perfectly in character. In my opinion her performance was the best of the film even though not central to the films plot.

‘Stoker’ won’t be to everyone’s tastes, but it’s certainly well executed and well acted. Due to the quirky and somewhat sombre nature of the films main characters they’re not overly likable, so when we’re left with only the motives of these characters as the remaining hook, I can see most audiences losing interest. But if you like stylised thrillers, or are familiar with Park’s work, then you may want to give ‘Stoker’ a watch.