Velvet Buzzsaw is a 2019 American satirical black comedy horror film directed and written by Dan Gilroy and starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Zawe Ashton, Rene Russo, Toni Collette, Daveed Diggs, Nitya Vidyasagar, Tom Sturridge, Natalia Dyer, Billy Magnussen, Mig Macario, and John Malkovich.
Don’t expect any subtlety or nuance from Velvet Buzzsaw, the latest flick from writer-director Dan Gilroy. This one’s more visceral and in some ways, silly as well. Essentially, the movies is a satire set in the contemporary art world scene of Los Angeles, where big money artists and mega-collectors pay a high price when art collides with commerce.
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The first half plays like a commentary about art business – its ruthlessness, greed and avarice – basically, the same as all other businesses – all explored in its characters.
The last half sees the movie transformed into a horror show and presumably works as a symbolic representation of the inhumanity that resides in all the various characters.
Plot-wise, Velvet Buzzsaw is fairly mundane though horror fans might enjoy the manner in which our characters are dispatched. Watch this instead for the excellent performances of Rene Russo, Toni Collette and of course, Jake Gyllenhaal.
The two senior actress especially catch the eye – Russo and Collette steal every scene they are in and Gyllenhaal does what he does best. Wide-eyed psychotic behaviour!
Now streaming on Netflix!