Random Acts of Violence (2020) | Film Review

Where is the line between gratuitous violence in fictional and reality? At what cost do we present art following the horrific acts of a serial killer? Random Acts of Violence explores these topics and more in the new horror-slasher flick, written and directed by Jay Baruchel.

Todd (Jesse Williams) finds himself at the cross-section of fame and hatred with his comic book franchise “Slasherman”. Inspired by the I-90 murders, where the killer grotesquely turned the corpses into horrifying statues of art, the Slasherman comics portray various murders in a similar, disturbingly manner. Todd has reached capacity with over four years and dozens upon dozens of issues, and is looking to close out Slasherman with one final ending.

Seeking inspiration, Todd and his girlfriend Kathy (Jordana Brewster) elect to take a trip down murder-lane with Todd’s business partner Ezra (Jay Baruchel), and Ezra’s assistant Aurora (Niamh Wilson). Following their departure down I-90, they are met with a series of eerie encounters and a murder that oddly appears to be a reenactment of a recent Slasherman comic. All the while, Kathy is seeking to cover the story in a much different way than Todd and Ezra have. She is looking to give a voice to the victims who no longer can speak for themselves. This juxtaposition of two characters, who love each other, but have completely contrasting views – and priorities – on the matter is a clear image of what our world often looks like anymore. The question is not why are they invested in opposite sides of the spectrum, but rather can they overcome it?

Williams’ portrayal throughout the film is engrossing as the centerpiece of this film but he is not alone. His fellow co-stars, Brewster, Baruchel, and Wilson, all offer a diverse range of personalities and performances, seemingly all on-par with each other. This is a compliment that on the surface appears easy to acquire, but it is not an easy feat by any scope, especially for a wide-variety of professional acting history.

First and foremost, if you are bothered by the deep ethers of slasher-horror and gore, this is not for you. For those of you that can handle it, boy is it a ride. Not only will the visuals terrorize your eyeballs, but the psychological concepts will tear you up too. There’s a never-ending debate, with limited research, on whether violence in entertainment can incite violence in the day-to-day. This discourse is well-positioned in the backdrop of a serial killer and one I did not anticipate, but one that Baruchel handles wonderfully.

Frankly, Random Acts of Violence is overall impressive. It seems obvious that Baruchel and co-writer, Jesse Chabot, have a clear vision and create a specific atmosphere throughout the film, keying in on a particular color-scheme that is much less common, but works well within the context of the film. The direction the story goes is fairly predictable, while still producing the feeling of surprise and shock. A great blend of a well-told narrative, balanced performances, and utterly gut-ripping gore, Random Acts of Violence is all the violent movie-watching you’re going to need this year. By the very end, well, let’s just say you won’t be eating dinner later.

Random Acts of Violence releases on VOD August 20, 2020
Starring Jesse Williams, Jay Baruchel, Jordana Brewster, and Niamh Wilson
Screenplay by Jay Baruchel & Jesse Chabot
Directed by Jay Baruchel