Movie Review: Saltburn

 

Michael's Movie Grade: B

While flawed, Saltburn is a twisted, dark and engrossing ride. 

What makes this film work so well is that there are many twists and turns and many of them are quite shocking. While none of these twists and turns come out of nowhere, most of them you won't see coming. This is especially true when it comes to the characters themselves. These characters may not be likable but they are always fascinating to watch. The movie even has you constantly guessing whether or not you truly know who these characters are. You can tell that each of these characters is putting on a facade. There is a dark twisted joy as well as pure terror as we see this facade be peeled away. At first you might think that this is simply an anti-rich and anti-establishment film, but it turns out to be much more complex than this while still offering some social commentary. The look of this film is also simply wonderful. From the lavish sets to the great cinematography, this movie is simply wonderful to look at. This look isn't just for being pretty though, it also adds much to the story. It makes Saltburn feel dark and unreal, while also showing why this place entices and lures all who go there. 

This movie does have its flaws though. One is that it is simply longer than it needs to be. There are times (especially towards the start), when it can really drag. Also this film should have ended sooner than it did. It has what would be a perfect twist ending and we don't need any more explanation or closure after this. But the movie goes on and provides us with both anyway, somewhat losing the mysterious and ambiguous feeling that it had just a little bit earlier. This had also been a flaw of director /writer Emerald Fennell's only previous feature, Promising Young Woman. She is a very talented filmmaker and I hope that she learns to overcome this fault in her otherwise very good movies. This movie also tends to use sexual moments simply for shock value and not to really enhance the story and this does little but pad the already too long runtime. 

While this may have its share of flaws, like Saltburn itself, this movie has a mysterious hold over its viewers for much of its runtime.