Chainsaws Rule!

I finally got the chance to go see the new Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie tonight in Bardstown. And if you want the honest truth, I'll give it to you. The movie is violent, bloody, nasty, mean, and boasts its fair share of dark humor. It's so violent, I'm actually surprised New Line managed to release it with an honest R-rating. Michael Bay must have greased some palms at the MPAA or something, because this thing is a giant bucket of blood wrapped in a big bloody ribbon.

The movie's family of villains is just like the movie itself: absolutely unrelenting. Leatherface and his family of cannibals is nothing short of terrifying, and what makes them that way is not completely because of how crazy they are, but how normal they perceive themselves to be. Forcing physical and psychological torture upon innocent bystanders before chopping them up and serving them for dinner is nothing out of the ordinary for them. To me, that kind of horror movie villain is the scariest: the one that feels totally, 100% justified in what they do. The ones that don't really believe the atrocities they commit are wrong scare me a lot more than any regular, everyday movie killer. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love Jason and Freddy, but Leatherface's motivations are a million times more disturbing. Jason's murders are for vengeance, Freddy's murders are for his own entertainment, and Leatherface's murders are committed simply because that's the way his family survives.

From a technical standpoint, the movie is very well put-together. Jonathan Liebesman completely redeems himself after the disaster that was his 2003 movie Darkness Falls, as his direction here is exemplary. I did feel his overuse of the shaky camera was a little much, I don't have any other bad things to say about it. Steve Jablonsky's music is awesome too, and the cast isn't bad. To tell the truth, if you're going to see this movie for the cast, you're better off following R. Lee Ermey and Andrew Bryniarski. Bryniarski is awesome as Leatherface, portraying him as a monstrous, single-minded brute that was seeming born to work in a slaughterhouse. He is only exceeded by Ermey, who I thought was the best part of the entire movie. Ermey's choice of movie roles over the years has led him to be somewhat typecast as a no-nonsense tough guy, and his role as Sheriff Hoyt plays that up. Sheriff Hoyt has no problem with shooting people for no reason, beating someone with a nightstick while forcing them to do pushups, or being a complete jerk in general, and Ermey plays the role with a sadistic glee. As I said before, the movie features some black humor, and Ermey is great as its main purveyor. I can't imagine anyone else in the role.

I thought the movie was quite effective, very well done, and a great start for 2006's Halloween season. So for that, I'm going to give Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning a solid four stars. I recommend it, but only to those who can handle it.