Cranked Up Film Review - This Game's Called Murder

The Wallendorf family patriarch (Ron Perlman) Matriarch (Natasha Henstridge) and layabout social media queen Jennifer (Vanessa Marano) are a brutal trio. All three clearly do not have a moral compass or a drop of empathy in their bodies. Their empire is built on one flashy thing Red Women's pumps. They don't make any other colour or style just red, just pumps plus the all-encompassing data that they collect from customers in order for them to secure the 7-year warranty. Jennifer is also at home playing enfant terrible. She regularly disappears on her parents, hangs with a bad crowd, and dates the wrong guy. Then she is constantly correcting her dad for calling her pumpkin a pretty benign pet name. 

Writer-Director Adam Sherman creates a world lensed by cinematographer David Newbert that is one part fairytale, one part comedy, and four parts horror. At the opening, Mr. and Mrs. are shooting their latest commercial that tends to run on a certain theme. Fit twentysomethings in red underwear, Mr. Wallenberg poised to deliver the finishing touch giving commands putting his talent in severe jeopardy. The finished product seems so real that the company is regularly accused that they are. The narrative is also a black-hearted commentary on consumerism as a whole and the pitfalls of giving personal information to corporations without a thought as you never know what they are actually doing with it. 

Vanessa Marano is given the keys to drive in the lead role Jennifer. She appears to be the typical vapid spoiled right girl at first but instead of talking big she acts usually leading to a permanent bad result for anyone in her crosshairs. Ron Perlman and Natasha Henstridge play it way over the top as Jennifer's conniving psychopathic parents. Look for Annabel Barrett in the meaty role of Cynthia. She is the leader of an all-girl gang clad in black, sporting bows and arrows eager to hijack trucking merchandise and kill off their male drivers as a bonus. 

This Game's Called Murder is at its core a cynical look at today's society. The mega-rich family at the centre takes eccentric into a high body count territory. The theory that corporations abuse the data they collect is shown right on the nose in a tidy sequence of comedic horror. Sherman had a plan for where he wanted this film to go and met his mark. It's a feature that's off the beaten path which is not a bad thing given the current level of conformity in movie making. 

*** Out of 4. 

This Game's Called Murder | Adam Sherman | U.S.A. | 2021| 106 Minutes. 

Tags: Red Pumps, Commercial Shoots, Hijacking, Girl Gang, Bow & Arrow, Gold, Ramen Noodles, Fiji.