Horns

Courtesy ofRadio-TWC and Dimension Films, including Mandalay Pictures and Red Granite Pictures
 

Based on the book by Joe Hill, "Horns" explores the dynamic between good and evil in very theatrical terms. For one thing, Daniel Radcliffe's character Ig is a stereotypically broken, alcoholic, trashed young man, who is trying to come to grips with the death of his girlfriend, as well as an entire town thinking he was the one who killed her. Steeped in the huge mountains of Washington state, and the lore of heaven and hell, this story follows Joe's investigation into finding Merrin's (Temple) real killer.

After a night of debauchery, Ig wakes with horns sprouting from his head, and the ability to compel strangers to unearth their worst secrets and inner demons, out in the open. The film uses this ability to engage in shock value including: sex in a dentist's chair, a flasher showing his "assets", a brawl between reporters, and a large amount of kissing by homosexual cops (seriously, shocking?). The film reads exactly like a book, including having romantic imagery, dialogue that centers on everlasting love, side plots that include mystical objects, symbolism that's completely overt, and a plot that winds slowly, dragging the film long. All those things make for a great read, but can, and do, hinder this film.

On Radcliffe's part he does a considerably great job of looking red eyed and discontented. The direction is often inspired, lending to gorgeous shots of the juxtaposed actors in this formidable setting. The landscape is incredibly beautiful but fraught with action, including sweeping shots of loggers, still waters, and teeming, green forests.

While the film gets bogged down in incidentals on more than one occasion, at its heart "Horns" is about a love story between two people who were damned from the beginning, tragic and yet otherworldly in the best of ways.