Review of:Willard (2003)
Director:Glen Morgan
Rating:PG-13 for terror/violence, some sexual content and language
Starring:Crispin Glover, Jackie Burroughs, Laura Elena Harring, Kim McKamy, R. Lee Ermey
The movie Willard is the personification of childhood stories that young boys and girls were told right before they went to sleep. The Pied Piper of Hamelin was one character that played his pipe to enchant all the mice in the village to follow him wherever he went. This film could be considered the evil cousin to that fairy tale. With Chrispin Glovin helming the ship the story takes an interesting look into a troubled man.
Chrispin Glovin has gained notoriety for the off center parts that he plays. If you have seen the movie Charlie's Angels you might remember him as "The Thin Man". He has the look of someone who is slight in stature, and his eyes speak with quiet disturbance. It is a part that he plays well, and never any better than in Willard.
Willard has the life that in ways mimic the life of Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) in Psycho. He is dominated by an unloving mother who cannot take care of herself, and seems to have a choke hold over his emotional growth. Chrispin Glovin successfully draws you into his metamorphosis and it is hard to take your eyes off of him at these times.
The only small happiness that he has in his life is a small white rat named Socrates that he forms a friendship with. Now this story is no Green Mile as Willard discovers an ability to communicate with the rats that have infested his house. Think of him as a degenerate lost relative of Tarzan. With the growing knowledge that he can control the rats comes power, and he feels himself becoming empowered daily with his new little secret. Life seems to take a roller coaster rides when it comes to Willard, and he quickly finds himself put upon by his boss (R. Lee Ermey). When Willard decides to take action against those who would take advantage of him is the time that the fun begins.
This remake of the 1971 horror classic is directed by Glen Morgan (Incoming Freshmen), and he also pens the screenplay to this newest incarnation. The film is based on the novel Ratman's Notebook by Gilbert Ralston. Gilbert Ralston is also credited as the writer to the original film, and its sequel of sorts in 1972 called Ben. He helps to bring the eerie Willard to life in much the same way as Hitchcock did with a young Norman Bates in Psycho. The film is really a tribute piece to the style of Alfred Hitchcock with many of the same themes finding their way into the movie. It is not done to the same level of the Psycho film, but you can definitely feel the pull of Hitchcockian presence. The film leaves a little too much to the imagination since you never figure out how Willard is controlling the rats, and the director doesn't seem inclined to let you in on the secret. One thing you will notice is that he communicates with another rat named Ben (African Gambian rat) that is five times as big as the rest. The communication between them is on a different level, much like two brothers who argue about everything. It is a very funny feeling to get from a film, but it is one of the most complicated things about it.
