
Director: Jordan Peele
Year: 2017
Rated R
Rating: * * * Stars
Cast: Allison Williams, Daniel Kaluuya, Catherine Keener
When I think of the words "get out", I instantly revert back to that part in
The Amityville Horror where a supernatural voice yells violently at the late Rod Steiger. Cut to 2017 and I'm now reminded of a movie with the same title as those infamous words.
Get Out (my latest review) is directed by Jordan Peele. He's actually a comedic actor by trade. His debut as a filmmaker, happens to be original in scope. Now when I mean original, that's probably because I haven't seen 1975's
The Stepford Wives yet. Supposedly, a few critics and Peele himself, saw "Wives" as an inspiration for
Get Out. No matter. This vehicle despite having a lack of jump scares, still has enough juice to moderately give you the creeps.
Premiering at Sundance Film Festival (via January of this year), harboring a budget of 4.5 million (most of it was spent on eye drops, ha), and dealing with themes of race, religion, and the occult,
Get Out projects itself like a fright fest from the late 1970's or early 1980's. This is evident even though the flick clearly takes place in present day. There's a scene where a cuckoo family appears on an old television set (in an in-house commercial no less). Then, you get some nostalgic, hair-raising music from Michael Abels (he mostly does orchestra works). Finally, there's a hypnotism segment in which the main trouper "sinks into the floor" and is rendered paralyzed.
Visually and audibly,
Get Out is pretty evocative. Jordan Peele must have been using a special lens because he captures cinematic images that feel so 40 years ago.

At 103 brief minutes,
Get Out starts as a slow burn only to pick up variable speed. Its last act is bloody and sadly, it's a little anti-climatic. Yeah the bad guys (and girls) get theirs but I wanted more of a deadening schism between a Twilight Zone parentage and their helpless prey. The story is as follows: Photographer Chris Washington (Daniel Kaluuya) and his girlfriend Rose Armitage (future star in the making Allison Williams), are visiting Rose's parents at their lavish estate (
Get Out was shot in various places in Alabama). Washington is African American. Armitage is Caucasian. What Chris doesn't know is that Rose's mom and pops plan on using pseudo-immortality on him. It's all a setup. They are respectively, neurosurgeons and hypnotists and they want to plant the brain of their frail friend into his body. This will render Chris a vegetable and a person unable to function in their brought upon, comatose state.
All in all
, Get Out has a blatant twist, some mild comic relief from Washington's best bud (Lil Rel Howery as Rod), and features the song, "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" in a crowning moment towards the film's conclusion. Man, you won't look at
Dirty Dancing the same way again (or bingo cards either but that's another story). In truth, this is a nicely plotted, well crafted horror mystery that could've used some grander character development. Talk about a cinematic contradiction. Whatever. I'll give
Get Out a pass for Peele's keen eye behind the camera. Rating: 3 stars.
Written by Jesse Burleson
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