The Ugly (1997)

Touches You

Absolutely Fantastic

It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

New Zealand is not a country that instantly springs to mind when one is asked the question of "which countries make good films", and that's for good reason; as they haven't made all that much. One film they have made, however, is this one; The Ugly. And it's not bad at all. While never brilliant, and certainly not matching the claim on the DVD box (on par with Seven and Silence of the Lambs, this is not), The Ugly still represents a minor success within the overpopulated psychological thriller sub-genre. Getting this sort of movie right is difficult because the auteur needs to find just the right balance between scares and intrigue, all the while ensuring that it remains believable. While Scott Reynolds hasn't managed to pull this off to a massively high standard; he's done well in capturing the essence that the film needs, so kudos to him for that. The story follows a psychiatrist that is brought in to analyse Simon Cartwright; a notorious and extremely mental serial killer. However, as she gets deeper into his mind, she finds it increasingly harder to escape...One thing I love about productions made in countries that don't mass-produce movies is the way that the local accents and dialect always find their way into the movie. The Ugly features lots of thick Australian accents, and it's nice to see in my opinion, as it firmly establishes the movie in it's home country. The film is at it's eerie best when our 'hero' is telling of his crimes and why he committed them. Just like he does with the psychiatrist, Simon Cartwright draws us into his world and it's a fascinating ride to be on. However, this asset is also the film's downfall as the action is never fantastically intriguing, and the plot tends to wander off at times which doesn't allow the viewer to stay in tune with the movie, thereby hindering it somewhat. However, the foreboding atmosphere and interesting array of characters ensure that the film never comes to a complete halt and it's short running time makes sure that the film is efficient and doesn't waste time on needless elements. I certainly recommend this movie, just as you long as you know that it's no Silence of the Lambs.

I´m watching "The Ugly" right now, and I think it is a really cool Movie, the Cut-scenes and the Camera-settings are great.Sometimes it is from Simons view (the Murderer) and sometimes it´s seen from the view of the victims (low sound from the view of a deaf woman)Sometimes it switches from reality to Simons Fantasy and back very fast and from the past (when he kills somebody(Blood isn´t red it´s black)) to the present situation (when hes in therapy)So its a great ThrillerI would rate it with 8/10

This movie had something original :introducing the serial killer after all that he has done was a good idea indeed .But ,after about fifteen minutes,it's the same old song:the shrink,the wicked mother,the young boy whom she treated badly.We've seen that before ,and a long time ago.Hitchcock's motherS had already told the whole story (I will only mention "strangers on a train" and Michael Powell did the same for the fathers ("peeping tom").Few ideas are really exciting here:we might, at a pinch, appreciate the scene when the shrink hesitates to release the prisoner from his handcuffs.Then a violent scene happens :is it in the psychiatrist's mind? or in the monster's?On the minus side,there's also a very unfriendly look at the psychiatric nurses ,whose works in real life must not be that much easy.The Ratched syndrome again.Pointless hints at Andersen's famous duckling tale.

"The Ugly" is inventively directed, challengingly structured (it doesn't follow any straight chronological line; it continuously mixes the present with the recent past, and then the recent past with the dim past), disturbing and has at least one incredibly suspenseful scene (the one where the killer is hiding in the bathroom). But it is also more pretentious than it has to be, with some serious slip-ups along the way (it has at least five "false scares" too many, and even a "double false scare"), and offers no new insights into the mind of a serial killer (abusive mother, bullies in the school, he hears voices, etc.). Scott Reynolds is undoubtedly a talented director and I would be interested in seeing more from him, but hopefully in his other films he has put the direction more in the service of the story. (**1/2)