"The Editor" is a big pile of references to old Italian giallo films that, in the end, just doesn't stand on its own two legs. You have a murder mystery that isn't very satisfying, but the whole thing is just there to prop up the movie's string of references.
This movie feels like an awkward teen who sees something cool, then won't shut up about it, referencing it over and over again to remind you that he's totally hip now. And these giallo references are very superficial and entry-level, with no clever twists that build on them. Oh look, there's bright primary-color lighting and badly-dubbed voices just like in giallo movies, who could've seen that coming?
The film's awkward teen vibe also shows up whenever it tries to be "adult." Italian giallo often used sexy content in an urbane way that could be both beautiful and gritty. Those classic Euro filmmakers were totally comfortable and familiar with the human body. But The Editor's Canadian filmmakers clearly think it's an exciting novelty to show nudity onscreen, like a bunch of virginal boys who think the human body is totally naughty. There's this cringe-inducing sense of "tee-hee, I can't believe we just showed some T&A, ohmygawd" throughout. Unless you're still in high school yourself, it's just embarrassing to watch.
The thing that really sinks this film though is the godawful acting. The two lead male actors are supposed to be a bit hammy, but again there's absolutely nothing clever here. It just comes across as stupid when one is doing a lousy accent and the other acts like a college improv student. Udo Kier and Laurence R Harvey appear in small roles and actually *act* instead of just hamming, and they just make you wish you were watching a movie where the other actors made an effort too.
The actresses though are simply atrocious. I honestly wasn't sure if they were doing bad, cheesy acting on purpose too, or if they really were just random wannabes hired for their looks. It's clear that the filmmakers were more thrilled about making the actresses strike extremely generic sexy poses instead of actually playing characters. It's a double-whammy of failure from both the director and the actresses.
If you're a big fan of Udo Kier, you can easily skip to his scene in the middle of the movie, so that's convenient. Overall, this film isn't shockingly bad or anything. It just feels like the filmmakers' money would've been better spent on just about anything else.
This movie feels like an awkward teen who sees something cool, then won't shut up about it, referencing it over and over again to remind you that he's totally hip now. And these giallo references are very superficial and entry-level, with no clever twists that build on them. Oh look, there's bright primary-color lighting and badly-dubbed voices just like in giallo movies, who could've seen that coming?
The film's awkward teen vibe also shows up whenever it tries to be "adult." Italian giallo often used sexy content in an urbane way that could be both beautiful and gritty. Those classic Euro filmmakers were totally comfortable and familiar with the human body. But The Editor's Canadian filmmakers clearly think it's an exciting novelty to show nudity onscreen, like a bunch of virginal boys who think the human body is totally naughty. There's this cringe-inducing sense of "tee-hee, I can't believe we just showed some T&A, ohmygawd" throughout. Unless you're still in high school yourself, it's just embarrassing to watch.
The thing that really sinks this film though is the godawful acting. The two lead male actors are supposed to be a bit hammy, but again there's absolutely nothing clever here. It just comes across as stupid when one is doing a lousy accent and the other acts like a college improv student. Udo Kier and Laurence R Harvey appear in small roles and actually *act* instead of just hamming, and they just make you wish you were watching a movie where the other actors made an effort too.
The actresses though are simply atrocious. I honestly wasn't sure if they were doing bad, cheesy acting on purpose too, or if they really were just random wannabes hired for their looks. It's clear that the filmmakers were more thrilled about making the actresses strike extremely generic sexy poses instead of actually playing characters. It's a double-whammy of failure from both the director and the actresses.
If you're a big fan of Udo Kier, you can easily skip to his scene in the middle of the movie, so that's convenient. Overall, this film isn't shockingly bad or anything. It just feels like the filmmakers' money would've been better spent on just about anything else.