The Mist
Rated: R
Runtime: 2 hours, 7 minutes
Directed by: Frank Darabont
Starring:
Thomas Jane - David Drayton
Laurie Holden - Amanda Dumfries
Nathan Gamble - Billy Drayton
Marcia Gay Harden - Mrs. Carmody
Andre Braugher - Brent Norton
Toby Jones - Ollie Weeks
Alexa Davalos - Sally
Sam Witer - Jessup
Jeffrey DeMunn - Dan Miller
Frances Sternhagen - Irene
William Sadler - Jim
This is the oddest review I've ever had to give, but here it goes: The Mist is easily one of the best films not only of the year, but of the decade.
DO NOT SEE IT.
I thought I'd seen upsetting films in the past. I was thoroughly disturbed by The Thing, Requiem for a Dream, and Irreversible. All those films are children's programming next to The Mist (note: never show any of these films to children. Ever.)
The set-up is simple. In small costal town, a father (Thomas Jane) and his young son (Nathan Gamble) go to the grocery store to get some food and some hardware supplies after a terrible storm sends a tree into their home. As they're waiting in the checkout lane, a strange mist envelops the town. A man runs in with blood streaming out his nose, screaming about something in the mist that just killed someone. He tells them to lock the doors. To give anything more away would spoil the film for you, and I'm tempted to do it just so I can keep you safe. But I won't because it's unfair to writer/director Frank Darabont.
I like Darabont. The Shawshank Redemption is one of my favorite movies of all-time. The Green Mile is a little long and a little sappy but still quite powerful. And The Majestic is an enjoyable if a tad overly-earnest Capra-throwback. But after seeing The Mist, I never want to meet the man. I don't want to find myself in the presence of a mind that can create a film like this.
If you think you're a fan of horror films, you're not. No one can be a "fan" of a film like this: a horror film that's actually horrifying. And the monsters and the gore are by far the least frightening aspects of this film. It's the human drama in the store, mostly created by Marcia Gay Harden as religious fanatic Mrs. Carmody who is one of the most terrifying characters in film history. To call her a villain would be a gross understatement. To call her "absolute evil" would be too vague. Call her the worst humanity has to offer and you're maybe scratching the surface.
What makes this review so odd is not only that I'm praising a film that I can't recommend, but I'm sure I've only whetted your appetite by trying to describe what makes it feel like I just got punched in the soul. So if you're going to go see it, plan to have a stiff drink afterwards or whatever you have to do to numb the pain.
Words by
Matt Goldberg
11.15.07