As horrifying and twisted as you’d expect.
In the tradition of “Se7en” and “Silence of the Lambs,” here comes “Longlegs,” a movie that uses puzzles to find the true identity of the serial killer, while examining his mind. What makes him tick? What makes his work horrifying igneous? And how would he resonate with the Manson family? All I can say that his slayings are more than meets the eye.
Consider the opening credits and it’s red like the opening of “A Clockwork Orange,” except the image is a square in the center. And then we get an opening scene in that format. The flashback sequences are presented like that, while the present sequences are wider. Cinematographer Andrés Arochi and editors Greg Ng and Graham Fortin capture all the scenes with the right thought-provoking sense.
The trailers barely show Nicolas Cage, who plays the main serial killer named after the title Longlegs, and when we do see him, he’s disguised by hair and make-up like a colorless version of the Joker. And it may sound like a spoiler alert, based on the evidence that you, the readers, are reading right here. But there’s so much more to puzzle that I’m forbidden to give away, but it will all make sense in the end. The pieces do fit, and when they’re completed, it will totally test your senses.
The time is the early 90s, and the Jodie Foster of this movie is Maika Monroe whose FBI agent character Lee Harker admits to her boss Agent Carter’s (Blair Underwood) daughter that being a female FBI agent can be a bit scary. She’s also haunted by her past, but she can’t put her finger on what would make those pieces fit. She can, however, examine his puzzles which are based on letters, numbers, and shapes, known as cryptic numbers, and are all written by Longlegs.
It looks as though she lives alone in a cabin in the woods, where she could get stalked by the killer, if not attacked by him. And she also acknowledges that his messages are full of satanic symbols and codes, so maybe we’re dealing with something otherworldly, even if her boss finds that hard to believe.
There is also some haunting ambiance regarding Lee’s religious mother Ruth (Alicia Witt with long grey hair), who advises her to say her prayers every night, but lives like a crazy hoarder. At least that’s what I’m going to have to assume if she doesn’t get rid of everything in her house. But we can tell she’s crazy by the way she looks with a Shelley Duvall tone. And it’s shame we lost that iconic “Shining” actress recently.
“Longlegs” was written and directed by Osgood Perkins (or Oz Perkins), whose acting credits include his first role in “Psycho II,” “Legally Blonde,” and “Nope,” and whose filmmaking positions include “The Blackcoat’s Daughter,” “I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House,” and “Gretel & Hansel.” His new movie captures the essence of “Silence of the Lambs” by having a female FBI agent trying to fit the pieces of the puzzle and a killer whose mind is impossible to comprehend. It’s all based on evil, and what sinister things come from it, and the way he handles his victims is ingenious. And the performances from Monroe, Cage, Underwood, and Witt are all universally excellent.
As I began to watch the film, I was wondering if I would understand the puzzles and the games within based on my mind. But even if I don’t understand everything, I was able to see that the puzzles fit and there’s no way Longlegs could commit these slaughterings on his own. Who is helping him? I can’t say. Find out for yourselves.