Dan Gilroy’s latest work, Velvet Buzzsaw, is an interesting new addition to his already sporadic filmography. Gilroy gained national attention with his directorial debut in 2014 with his film, Nightcrawler, but he followed up his box-office hit with a drab, legal drama, Roman J. Israel, Esq. Now, Gilroy has returned as a director and paired up with Jake Gyllenhaal once again. However, Gilroy’s latest work feels lifeless, especially within the context of its release on Netflix.
Despite the film’s many issues, its biggest problem is that its underlying themes are in direct conflict with its Netflix release. Velvet Buzzsaw depicts the horrors that begin to arise when one obsesses over the monetary value of a work of art. Yet, Netflix has proven time and time again that their business model is centered around assessing the value of their releases. Netflix clearly has the ability to reach millions of users, yet relatively few of their titles are heavily promoted. For example, last year Orson Welles’ final film, The Other Side of the Wind, and a documentary about its production, They’ll Love Me When I’m Dead, were both released onto the platform. However, Netflix never placed them into the “New Releases” category and buried the films in their extensive database.
On the contrary, Netflix kept Bird Box on their front page for weeks and even ran ads on television. So, it is deathly ironic that Netflix would release a film discussing the problematic process of placing money ahead of artistic expression when the company is, by far, the most notorious in the film industry for doing so.
The film itself is not worth overlooking the obvious issues with its corporate influence. Velvet Buzzsaw never really finds its lane, and Gilroy, despite his oddly diverse filmography, clearly does not have the capability to master the tone of a genre splicing film. The tone of the film is erratic, and the outcome of the characters is obvious too early on in the film.
The best aspects of the film are its horror elements, which really show off Gilroy’s directional capabilities. Although quite possibly unintentional, his nod to the Phantasm franchise with an art piece strikingly similar to the Sphere in the films was a nice touch to an otherwise dull film.
Despite the movie’s overall lack of quality, the acting is phenomenal and boasts one of the best casts so far this year. Toni Collette follows up her Oscar-snubbed performance in last year’s Hereditary, and Daveed Diggs, who made the most of his talent in Hamilton and recently transitioned into film acting, continues to prove his range as an actor. Despite the immense talent of the supporting cast, Jake Gyllenhaal, unsurprisingly to say the least, steals the film. He plays the role of Morf, an art critic that discovers the horrific aspects of his occupation and attempts to stop the inevitable death of his co-workers.
Overall the film is watchable, but unfortunately for Gilroy, it is representative of the growing issue of films released by Netflix. As shown on numerous occasions throughout its existence, the streaming service is slowly draining the artistic aspect of film and replacing their corporate-fueled content in its place. Netflix has the influence to give the joy of artistic film to those who otherwise would not have access to such cinema, but Velvet Buzzsaw is a prime example that they have no intention of doing so any time in the near future.
Rating: 2.5
For the Love of Cinema 