Movie Review: RESOLUTION (2012) - Nightmarish Conjurings

Salutations my screechers, screamers, and scary dreamers,

Tonight’s tale of terror entitled “Resolution” finds a friend forcing his best buddy to kick his crack habit by handcuffing him to a support in a secluded shack. Drug dealers, Indians, invisible forces, foreboding photos, and fighting derail the detox.

The opening setup does not offer a lot and shows off little of the plot, but the two friends are so well drawn that they kept my interest as this film moved on. In fact the characters form the focal point so it is lucky for us that they do not disappoint as each is written with shades of gray which become clearer as things get underway. The pacing defies modern convention so it is a good thing the leads piqued my attention and their banter proved an important inclusion that kept me invested until the conclusion.

Since the story is paper thin it falls to the actors to draw us in and both perform with such zeal that it makes their characters feel all the more real. So natural were their conversations that they seemed like complete improvisations which gave this movie a natural feel before things started to become unreal. Even when things began to get dark both actors hit the mark and they made such a winning pair that I could not help but care.

The look of this picture has little formality which further gives it a dose of reality and while it never fully embraces the found footage style it does toy with it for a little while. Mimicking a found footage flick can prove to be a dangerous trick, but here it was integral to the plot and never treated as an afterthought. Many films in this vein still try to retain some form of soundtrack, but this one breaks away from the pack and I respected it all the more for lacking any formal score.

Story/Concept: 1
Direction/Style: 2
Scares: 0
Atmosphere: 2
Rewatchability: 2
TOTAL: 7/10

In brief, the characters bring a lot of sheen to what could have been routine and watching their relationship unfold is almost better than the tale being told.

Stick to the shadows my fine friends.