Natasha Flynn (Polly Maberly) feels destined for trouble in director Gerard Johnson’s (Hyena, Muscle) gritty London thriller, Odyssey, but in a far more violent, genre-leaning way than you’d expect. The prickly, coke-fueled real estate agent presents as far more financially successful than she is, putting her constantly on the cusp of complete self-destruction. While that alone would make for a fascinating character study, Johnson instead puts her on a strange, well, odyssey into the city’s dark underbelly, putting Narasha on a collision course with shocking violence.
Odyssey begins as a drama, with no looming signs for the left field turn straight into dark thriller territory to introduce an unconventional lead in Natasha. The seemingly put together and highly successful real estate agent is tough, no nonsense, and icy, relying on her coke habit to keep up her energy to land sales and get her through the day. But the longer we spend with Natasha, the clearer it becomes that her cool, abrasive exterior is a front. She uses her pushy persona to evade a declined card payment at the dentist and makes a scene at a high-end café for lunch to avoid picking up the tab. But the harder she fights to maintain her image, the higher her debt rises. As if pressure isn’t already mounting, Natasha gets embroiled in a bizarre kidnapping after a friendly encounter with two men (Guy Burnet and Ryan Hayes) at a club.
No one could guess where Johnson, who co-wrote the script with Austin Collings, takes it from there. The filmmaker mines plenty of tension from Natasha’s constant scramble to tread water, ramping it up to a palpable degree by constantly adding more pressure. But cornering a terrified animal is never smart, and discovering where Natasha’s journey winds up leads to a ton of hellish, ultra-violent fun.
Maberly deftly navigates an impossible task of portraying the abrasive Natasha with authenticity, exposed flaws and all, without losing the audience. Especially as it’s her own greed that has led her to this point. But the morally dubious Natasha is such a fascinating character, as are the explored themes of projected image. Johnson’s enigmatic storytelling and stylized direction also help; the seedy underworld of London is as neon drenched as it is dark and grimy. That Johnson makes these two distinctive halves- the character study first half with an increasingly dark and violent thriller back half- feel cohesive and seamless is also no easy feat.
Once Mikael Persbrandt’s enigmatic character referred to only as “The Viking” enters the equation, the gloves come off, and Odyssey explodes fully into horror-thriller territory. The road getting there may prove divisive depending on how much you’re willing to follow Natasha on her downward spiral, and the slow-simmer could take a tighter edit. But the blood soaked finale is worth the wait.
Odyssey made its world premiere at SXSW. Release info TBD.
The post ‘Odyssey’ SXSW Review – Morally Dubious Character Study Explodes into Ultra-Violent Thriller appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.
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