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| Cast and Credits |
| Cast: |
William Forsythe, Bill Moseley, Sid Haig, Sheri Moon, Irwin Keyes, Robert Allen Mukes, Ken Foree, Michael Berryman, Tyler Mane, Danny Trejo, Natasha Lyonne, Rosario Dawson, M.C. Gainey, Leslie Easterbrook |
| Director: |
Rob Zombie |
| Writer: |
Rob Zombie |
| Rating: |
Rated R for sadistic violence, strong sexual content, language and drug use. |
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Reviewed By: Cosmo Kramer
Rating: 7/10
The aptly named Devil's Rejects is Rob Zombie's sequel to his long overdue debut film House of 1,000 Corpses. While House as a whole was under whelming as a horror movie, Zombie changes pace here and really shows his nasty side. The Devil's Rejects is purely an exploitation film - Zombie obviously takes notes from the grind house flicks of the 70's. This movie looks like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and is just as unflinching.
The carnage starts when the police catch up with the serial killer family from the first movie. The Firefly house is raided and in an intense shootout with the cops, the family dons heavy body armor and faces guards reminiscent of roman warriors. Mother Firefly (played better by Sharen Black in the first film) is taken into custody and conveniently, the two most interesting family members are on the run from just about everybody except their victims. From here pure mayhem ensues.
Bill Mosley returns as Otis, the highlight of this movie. Depraved and twisted he may be, the sickness this guy emulates in his performance is undeniable. Otis looks like Charles Manson on a bad day. We're talking a total disregard for human life and moral decency. The snide and unapologetic remarks that come out of his mouth will make half the people in the theater laugh and will have the other half walking out. Only those already desensitized by these kinds of films should be going to this movie. It's astounding how much Zombie got away with. This movie is downright offensive but for some reason feels acceptable. Rob Zombie knew what he was doing. Otis and Baby are on the road most of the film and while the plot runs a little thin, I loved watching these characters and their treatment of human life, which is akin to a kid pulling the wings off of a fly.
Like his first film though, Devil's Rejects suffers from some truly painful scenes. Thankfully these scenes are contained pretty well and the movie flows onward. But some of this stuff had me scratching my head and worrying that Zombie actually thought these scenes were clever. Rob Zombie isn't a very funny guy, so I don't get these attempts at humor. He needs to stick to his guns better. For example there's a particularly asinine bit where a movie critic boasts his knowledge of Marx brothers films. This was completely random and I was wondering if the Marx brothers thing was some sort of in-joke with Rob Zombie.
I was glad to see Sid Haig given a sizeable role. He does a lot with the character of Captain Spaulding and I couldn't imagine anyone playing the role better. He is a real sleaze and a complete prick. A guy who takes pleasure in scaring little kids. And the father-daughter dynamic with Baby (Sheri Moon) was a welcomed addition. It gave Spaulding a more significant connection to the two. Although we're not exactly rooting for these characters, they have time to grow on you unlike in House of 1,000 Corpses. Danny Trejo and Diamond Dallas Page show up as bounty hunters but don't seem at all out of place. William Forsythe also plays the only cop in this movie with any depth, a man with a personal vendetta who crosses the line cops shouldn't. The rest of the law enforcement in the movie are portrayed as pretty clueless.
This film comes full circle and Rob Zombie's climatic use of Free Bird pretty much made the film for me. Music lovers will appreciate the truly stellar 70's southern rock soundtrack. Instead of using his own lame music, Rob Zombie uses the classic rock at his disposal and he does it well. This is one of the best soundtracks in film history and sets the period for the film nicely. Of course all the honky tonk music set against scenes of extreme slow motion violence got a little tiring. The violence in the movie is all nicely handled and has a unique style. After seeing this movie I'd like to believe Rob Zombie has moderate talent as a filmmaker and his own work is interesting but the moments of extreme immaturity bring them down.
Rob Zombie has made a serious effort with The Devil's Rejects. It's his better film of the two in most respects. It at least shows growth as a director and has a very cool style. It makes me excited for what Rob Zombie will come up with next time around. If you dug House of 1,000 Corpses or are just a fan of extreme cinema or black humor The Devil's Rejects is the real deal and shouldn't be missed. Alright, you get to see a lot of Sheri Moon's ass too, but that's just more icing on the cake than anything.
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