Luster (2010)

Great Film overall

Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

I've seen three Adam Mason movies, and I think he's an excellent director, but I think his nihilist streak is probably keeping him from getting more well known. There are other great directors (Miike, Sono, Todd Solondz) who also have the same nihilistic tendencies, but eventually they do have a philosophical point to make in their films. Luster pretty much had no philosophical point to make, unless you want to say that murdering anyone that slightly annoys you, and screwingevery woman you meet (even if you're married) will lead to complete fulfillment in life. Sure, I know he's trying to make an entertaining movie (and he always succeeds), but so are those three directors I named above. Those three guys show some of the sickest things that have ever been shown in the history of cinema, but they do have some type of message in their films, no matter how bleak. Mason doesn't seem to care about that aspect of a film at all, which doesn't bother me; I'll always watch his films (I'm looking forward to "Junkie"), but that type of attitude (maybe from making too many rock videos?) might have something to do with his relative obscurity to film goers.

I was scrolling through the long list of movies provided by cable and was torn between Luster and another one that looked interesting. I'm glad I picked Luster. It is essentially a spin on Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde comically wrought in an LA landscape that makes it hard not to side with the monster. One of the great pleasures of the movie is the constantly running dialog of a radio station persona reviling the weak nice guy and encouraging such saps to morph into snakes. A variety of LA narcissists and simpletons populate the landscape along with some truly likable sorts. The viewer is invited into the main characters fundamental schism and may well sit on the fence as the protagonist does bloody battle with himself. In Dr. Jekyl and Mr Hyde the cultural background is a Victorian world in which the humorless Mr. Hyde is repulsive and an assault on virtue. In this version Thomas Luster becomes better looking and more compelling when he is at his worst almost winking at the camera and inviting us to appreciate his rampage of murder and lust. The film is shot on a low budget but plays as well as wealthier films. The script is very witty and the lead does a wonderful job of getting us to identify with the tormented nice guy, recoil as he does at the horrors wrought by his alters even as its hard not to resent his mousiness. The tension in the movie is well crafted and while we pity the chump chewing on his fingernails the picture is also pathetically funny. I have never seen any other Adam Mason films. Count me a fan now.

I originally watched this because I'm a huge Tommy Flanagan fan. And I loved it. Good twists, great acting all the way around, with a good ending. If you're looking for a blood and gore horror movie, this isn't the movie for you, but if you like creepy, psychological thrillers, I can't recommend this enough.Andrew Howard does a great job of portraying the insomniac man, who is slowly losing his mind due to lack of sleep. He pulls off the character perfectly, all the way through the movie.Tommy Flanagan is hilarious in this, as the crazy, homeless vet who is trying to help out Thomas Luster. Every time he was on screen he made me laugh.It starts off at a slow pace, and gradually builds up, reaching the peak about mid-way through, and drags you along for the rest, keeping you on the edge of your seat.

When you hear the name Adam Mason followed by Andrew Howard, you instantly are filled with this sudden realization that you are in for a treat, it is almost the same feeling you get Christmas morning as a child, when you look over at your clock and take in what day it is, at least that is how I feel every time I find out they are working together on another project and it was no different when I heard the news that "Luster" was in the works.I have watched this film now a total of four times, and each and every time I view it, I find more and more to like about it. Once again Adam Mason has a winner on his hands with "Luster" and proves that he is not a name to be forgotten. After a string of classics such as "The Devils Chair", "Blood River" and "Pig" and now "Luster" he has gone way beyond the needed criteria to land a spot on my list of top horror directors."Luster" has it all, a solid and entertaining story that is both original and ultra thought provoking, stunning practical special effects that shame most big budget Hollywood releases by sticking to the gritty and raw feeling that Mason has mastered over the years, and to finish the total package an excellent all around cast and convincing top notch acting by all who were involved.Once again Andrew Howard does an incredible job, this time portraying Thomas Luster, who has found himself on a downward spiral in every sense of the word. Andrew delivers such a realistic and moving performance, you really build up an attachment and sense of honestly feeling bad for his character and what he is going through something that is rarely achieved in the horror genre these days where most characters are nothing more than slabs of meat included for the sake of being dismantled in gruesome ways.The entire cast of "Luster" did astonishing jobs with their characters, Tess Panzer, who plays Thomas's wife Jennifer Luster was on top of her game, and my personal favorite character Les played by Tommy Flanagan, who you may recognized from his role on the hit FX series "Son's of Anarchy" really stole the show for me, you would honestly believe that he was a homeless vet he plays the role so authentically.The writing ability of Adam Mason and Simon Boyes, time after time produce truly creepy and most of the times very feasible scenario's in their viewers minds that leave them haunted forever by what they just witnessed. "Luster" is no different in this department, once it all becomes unraveled and you grasp what has been going on you will find yourself desperately craving to find another soul who has seen the film so you can gab about it like a tween girl who just finished the latest issue of "Tiger Beat".While "Luster" is not your typical Adam Mason style horror film, as it has more thriller, psychological, who did it undertones than his previous films, any fans of his earlier work will not be let down this time around. While there is not as much gore in "Luster" as his previous films either, when it does occur it's done in the familiar gritty fashion that Adam has always delivered in his films.I guarantee after you watch "Luster" you'll think twice about taking that little chalk flavored capsule in order to get to sleep when a bout of insomnia strikes you again, you'll start to second guess yourself every time you "Misplace" an object in your home and you will forever feel the effects left behind by "Luster", ensuring that there's always a part of you that asks what if? Thanks to an insanely strong script, and characters that are both believable and memorable both main and supporting wise, "Luster" is sure to win crowd after crowd whenever it is released. I highly recommend any fan of the horror genre go out of their way to see this movie upon release and if you are not familiar with Adam Mason's earlier work, I insist that you IMDb his name and go down the list, I would start with "The Devils Chair" and work my way through his impressive library of true horror films.On Behalf of The Liberal Dead I give "Luster" a very solid and deserving 9 out of 10, and award for best psychological twist in a horror film in a very long time.