Charm

This was a real, late- night, Netflix desperation surprise. It's clever and funny and the writer/ director/ lead is perfect in all ways- how many have watched this and said I know a guy like that ( except for the serial killer thing)? I enjoyed the sly and not- so- sly pop cultural references, which included a Louis Armstrong masterpiece, a riff on the family dynasty that produced James Bond films, and so much else. The supporting actors were great- the women were attractive and seemed natural and Malcolm's sidekick male friends were funny at times. It is in no way a horror movie- not at all fair to call it that- but more of an American Psycho- style black comedy/ social satire and it hits the mark nearly as often as that movie did. It even (sort of) covers one of many a New Yorker's favorite topics lately- that of European jerks taking over. The director cast himself perfectly and he is funny just to look at, and hearing him spout his nonsense is even funnier. What perhaps keeps "Random" from being too heavy handed is the sense the director gives you that he identifies with the characters Malcolm hates and wants to get rid of, and so he is making fun of himself as much as anyone else. Well done; no expectations going in and nothing but yuks and admiration after it ended. The "8" is high but it is in context of what he set out to do, how much he had to spend, how much I laughed, etc... wait so maybe that really does make it an 8! OK, 7 and a half and great job by all involved.

I was told about this movie from a friend who didn't even make it through the credit sequence. And at first I was siding with them. Right off the bat you are introduced to an unlikable main character living a hypocritical lifestyle in NYC. He speaks about the dangers of gentrification from his upscale apartment with his hipster friends. While only living in New York for 16 years from London, he lusts for the iconic gritty, crime ridden heart of the city.

For a movie buff, the later parts of the film begin to appear as a polar opposite of Taxi Driver. Travis Bickle went vigilante, while Malcolm goes rogue. One sees the filth and crime of the city and wants to eradicate it, while the other wishes to instigate a pseudo-intellectual 'revolution' of crime.

The style is, in my mind, a sour attempt at mockumentary. There are plenty of good uses of the shaky camera work, but there are also lots of bad examples. For the most part the message works out, 'extremely low budget' sums it up well, and overall while the main character is not a guy I would share a beer with it is an interesting look into the mind of a clearly bored psychopath with lofty ideals.

I'm almost 70, and at last I see a movie that is truly fresh, original, and completely out to lunch. If you don't want to watch the entire movie (and I highly recommend you do), just watch his girlfriend's explanation of the importance of the attempt to discover God. Her reasoning is par excellence.

If you watch the movie to the conclusion, please don't tell others. This is just as good as any Hitchcock ending, and he did it on a thin dime. There are so many things that I normally hate in a shoe-string movies such as this. The shaky, POV camera; the quick, quirky dialogue that's hard to comprehend in one sitting; and the harsh violence that's casual. But this baby transcends all of that by miles. Give this a go. Stay with it for 30 minutes and see if you don't agree with me. My cup of tea. Hope it's yours.

I made it about 20 minutes into the movie and could have saved a lot of time as the next 19 minutes were essentially the same thing as the first minute. I've enjoyed many low budget movies, my problem with this movie is the total lack of anything. It's not funny, it's not exciting, there is no discernible plot. This was one of those rare movies that preaches at you but has nothing to say. The preaching is annoying enough but the babbling on about not even good platitudes was excruciating. I've managed in less than a minute to make a more meaningful social statement than the entire first 20 minutes of this movie did.

Random Acts of Violence is a highly experimental low budget pseudo-documentary satire that I've picked up for three bucks some time ago. The story revolves a young adult of British origin living in New York City who is getting tired of gentrification. In order to introduce some changes in this boring city, he randomly start killing people while being filmed by some associates. His sinister actions soon start to interfere with his personal social life. However, the rest of society, politicians and even the police don't seem to care. The young adult tries to go one step further as he decides to assassinate a candidate running for mayor to finally get some attention.

The story itself is already quite unusual but there are many more things that will get your attention. The movie is an experimental low budget effort with almost no special efforts that gives it the vibe of a self-made documentary. The lead character, while being a complete lunatic, is quite charismatic and played quite uniquely by lead actor Ashley Cahill who is fairly unknown and deserves more attention. The quirky locations show the diversity of New York City in a unique way as they explore trendy bars, new restaurants and elegant apartments. The movie's ending comes around with an absurd but fitting twist that makes you laugh and think at the same time. This is certainly a movie you won't forget anytime soon.

Obviously, this type of movie is an acquired taste. The story is rather shallow. The movie portrays brutal violence in random ways that make it look like ordinary events. Even though pretentious reviewers seem to see a profound meaning behind the movie, there actually isn't one. This film feels like an experimental art house project by some nonconformist film school students.

In the end, Random Acts of Violence is unlike any other film you have ever seen and will ever watch. It's experimental at all costs. Some people are going to hate it with passion, others are going to adore its unconventional style without any compromises and then there are going to be people like me who are situated somewhere in between. This film is like a guilty pleasure because I like it despite its gruesome random violence. I would however only recommend this movie to people who like experimental movies and aren't afraid to push their boundaries.