Stalker(Amazon Prime)
Starring Vincent Van Horn, Christine Ko, Michael Lee Joplin
Directed by Tyler Savage
Rating: ** ½
To watch a film called Stalker is as big a giveaway as a film called Rapist. You know what’s it store. If the film is called Stalker there will be some wacko providing unwanted and persistent attention. Here the stalker is a taxidriver named Roger(Michael Joplin) who develops an unhealthy attachment to Andy(Vincent Van Horn).
Andy has lately moved to LA after a nasty breakup in another town. His initial efforts to leave the past behind and settle in with his chosen new life, is done with a thoughtful air. The director knows recognizes and respects the heart of solitude when he sees a man keeping to himself. There is a dog for company and no real contact until he meets Sam(Christine Ko) who doesn’t ask too many questions and isn’t afraid of shared silences.
Just what Andy needs. But then his new friend Roger doesn’t like it when he is neglected ignored and eventually blocked by Andy.
The plot sickens, as Roger has his revenge, trespassing into Andy’s house, hacking his computer, ghost-clicking into porn-dating site,stealing all his money from his bank account, etc etc. It all begins to seem incredibly malicious and there’s not much the cops can do. In fact the female cop on duty seems to be amused that a male stalker should be hounding a male. Maybe Andy should try to pacify the pervert? The cop suggests with giggly disdain.
So far, I liked the film’s perfidious energy, the building up of dark suspense through an unbearable atmospheric pressure. But then in an endgame manipulating the plot into being a deliberate shocker, the film finally comes undone. It’s not only that I had a difficult time accepting the credibility of the end-twist. I did!
But the more damaging side-effect to the climactic contortions is the way the emotions are blown up and subverted until we reach a point of no return. I could feel the anxiety of the director to ensure audiences’ interest remains intact till the bitter end. He wants us to remain seated until the last drop of blood.But it seems way too desperate,like a s*x worker trying all her tricks to keep the customer happy.
I came away from the thriller feeling exhausted and cheated.Because what Stalker lacks is a conscience and a moral centre. It is a heartless pitiless product willing to go to any lengths to thrill you. Sadly there is nothing thrilling about being thrilled to a twisted point of no return. Stalker builds up to a tense implosive climax and then collapses under the weight of its own anxieties.
Interestingly I have not seen the work of any of the three principal actors before. They are not bad. But the real hero is Los Angeles, the city that never sleeps even if films about the city slip up so badly.
