All the Little Animals

I was excited to see a John Hurt and Christian Bale film when cruising Prime one day.

I put it on that evening alone in my flat at around midnight whilst working on a project. The prime synopsis read: "Bobby (Christian Bale) runs away from home to escape his violent stepfather. He's taken in by a reclusive older man (John Hurt) until the two of them must confront Bobby's stepfather. Christian Bale is a standout in this dark moral fable."

I didn't research further as I didn't want anything spoiled. Of course, elsewhere online it states that the father kills all of Bobby's pets, prompting his escape.

As the movie made it past the first 10 minutes, I knew that it was not what I was expecting. I was ready for a heartwarming tale of a boy growing up and learning, with the help of a hermit, how to stand up to his stepfather.

I was met with a horror movie. With my cat beside me, we powered through this depressing, chaotic, and angering film. There is nothing particularly wrong with the acting, or the writing, or the cinematography, or the directing. But the subject matter is loaded. You will be yelling at the television at multiple points. I will not spoil any additional plot points as my review is more of a warning.

I have now read the book and learned more about the author-but I don't think I can ever watch the film again. Please proceed with caution when watching this film, as it will take a lot out of you.

Read Roger Ebert's review for plot description and more. He says it far better than I ever could. I can't believe some of the user comments that didn't like it. If I were a filmaker, this is the film I would want to be known for.

It is definitely not a children's film. Nor is it a "tearjerker" inthe way,say Bambi or The Yearling were; not that they weren't good. It's more about good vs. evil; and more than that. It's for people who think; who want to see more than car chases and Hollywood cliches. See it. You'll never forget it.

My son and I really liked this film. If you are into shoot 'em up, no thinking or feeling required movies, then this one is not for you. For those who like animals and like to see the little guy win once in awhile, this is a great film. The stepfather, DeWinter, is a typical "nothing matters but money" type person and his unfortunate stepson, Bobby, gets caught in the line of his ruthless fire. As fate would have it, Bobby meets an eccentric and oddly lovable old fellow, Mr. Summers, who is into giving the poor creatures who have been flattened on the road a decent burial and a little compassion for what their little life once was. I know in this steam roller over everything that isn't human world that we live in, a lot of people aren't concerned in the slightest with what befalls those who are not so fortunate as them, particularly when it's a non-human unfortunate. But I found it very refreshing that someone took the time to write a book and do a film about the "underdogs" of life on this planet. I found myself cheering Bobby on when he finally finds his backbone and deals with his stepfather appropriately. For those who love animals and maybe even detest the cruelty that some people just feel they have to exhibit towards the helpless, this is a one in a million movie where the little guys win.

I came across this film from a review by Roger Ebert. I have grown to respect his opinions most of the time. It was also a big motivator to check out to see Christian Bale and John Hurt on screen together. I'm a fan of both of them. The film starts out well with a good introductory to Bale's character caring for his mouse which he must keep hidden from his step father. However the second the step father appears and comes across as a James Bond villain or Darth Vader, especially with the over bearing music, I began to get concerned. Evil step father's are often poorly portrayed in films and are over the top but this one takes the cake. It was just ridiculous. Pretty much every character was over the top and felt over exaggerated. You could make a drinking game off of how many times Bale cries in this film. It just seemed the director was stereotyping mentally challenged people as crying a lot. Even John Hurt, arguably one of the best Shakespearean actors of all time, looks weak in this film. Of course it isn't the actors faults. We all know that Bale and Hurt are amazing talents. It's clearly the fault of an inexperienced director who definitely has not learned the art of subtlety. The concept was interesting and could have lead to a good story in the right hands. In these hands though the narrative is unfocused and poses to be meaningful but in the end isn't. There are plot points that come up that are out of place and have no real point in the film. Towards the end of the film, the whole thing goes off of the deep end. We go into pure fantasy with the step father turning into the equivalent of a comic book super villain. He apparently has the strength of a few men, is unfazed by injury, and can punch through glass windows. It was just so ridiculous. There are so many directions this film could have gone in and they took the worst route imaginable. I really have nothing good to say about this movie other then that Christian Bale and John Hurt did an okay job given that they clearly had nothing to work with. Though it's interesting to look at Bale's performance in this and lay it beside his eerily comedic role in American Psycho, which came out only a year later. If you look at both performances side by side you can see that Bale has an incredible range.

Some people need total control of everything and everyone in their lives. When they fail to enforce their will, these individuals lash out in anger, torment, or aggression. "The Fat" could be the poster child for such outrageous behavior. Daniel Benzali has played the heavy many times before (see "Suckers"), but his performance in "All the Little Animals" is pure evil, and reason alone to seek this film out. John Hurt and Christian Bale give fine performances, but it is Benzali who makes the movie memorable. The film is highly original, deliberately paced, and the ending is extremely satisfying. Highly recommended. - MERK