Wesley's F-ed Up Movie of the Week #3

Let's face it: there are a lot of really messed up, crazy, and insane movies out there. For some reason or another, I've seen a lot of them. After all, I tend to watch lots of movies and all different kinds of them. I'm not really sure what makes me rent these kinds of films but I usually manage to watch them all the way through. So, forever how long I can do it, I'm going to post this column once a week (not necessarily on Tuesday- unlike Speech of the Week, this column will not be day specific) and focus on some of the more obscured and messed up films that I've seen in my twenty-one years of life. Here it is folks: Wesley's F-ed Up Movie of the Week.

This week's f-ed up movie is from 1997 and is entitled In the Company of Men. Here's a good synopsis from Netflix:

"Two corporate middle-managers (Aaron Eckhart and Matt Malloy), exiled to a branch office for 6 weeks, come up with a way to kill time: Find an insecure woman, independently romance her and then simultaneously dump her. Director Neil LaBute's powerful, amoral look at office politics and sexual gamesmanship is guaranteed to push buttons with its searing, cruel candor."

In the Company of Men is definitely no where near as disturbing as my previous entries in this column (Happiness and River's Edge) but you gotta admit that it's main concept is pretty messed up. Two bored business men decide to romance a vulnerable woman and then throw the fact that it was all a ruse right back in her face. And did I mention that the woman that the two men end up choosing is deaf and dumb? Yeah, that's pretty messed up. In case that doesn't sum this movie up for you (along with the summary I got from Netflix), be sure to check out the trailer below.

In the Company of Men was basically the start of a series of films by director Neil LaBute that dealt with destructive and often manipulative human relationships and that aspect of human nature (the other films are Your Friends and Neighbors and The Shape of Things). For some reason or another, LaBute ended up losing his touch somewhere along the way and ended up directing the hilariously bad Nic Cage remake of The Wicker Man. However, before he got to that stage, he was really capable of directing some pretty hard-hitting and provocative films.

In the Company of Men is one of those films. As messed up as its concept is, one cannot help but be strangely enthralled by it and how far the two men will take the elaborate and assuredly destructive prank. At first, it just seems like something you would talk about with one of your friends on a very late night when you are exhausted and your mind is just rambling. However, as the film goes on and the two begin to engage in the horrendous prank, the viewer really finds themselves invested in what is occurring and can't help but put themselves right into the shoes of the characters.

As the film progresses, Howard (Matt Mallory), who was basically cajoled into the prank, finds himself slowly falling in love with Christine (Stacy Edwards) while Chad (Aaron Eckhart) seems only bent on destruction. As the film winds down to it's climax, some truly awful things occur and some scary truths about the viciousness of certain human beings is put on the screen for the viewer to deal with.

One of the main appeals of this film is the acting. For me, I saw this movie because I heard how good Aaron Eckhart's performance as Chad was. How good was it, you may ask? Pretty amazing if you ask me. Eckhart manages to be one of the most charismatic and downright soulless people I've ever seen on film. It was weird to see this and then see him playing Harvey Dent (who was such a good guy... well, at first) in The Dark Knight a month later. The guy obviously knows that the movie is basically his and he owns it from start to finish. Matt Mallory also gives a great performance as Howard, the relatable business man with kind of a conscious... but not exactly. Stacey Edwards also does a great job with the vulnerable character of Christine and is able to display not only the character's disability but the vast range of emotions she goes through quite well. 

Despite going on to direct the terrible remake of the Wicker Man, Neil LaBute offers some strong direction in this film. LaBute directs the film like a play- there is not a strong visual style per say as there is a strong emphasis on the acting of the great ensemble of actors that he has at his hands. LaBute offers up a lot of long shots to showcase this great acting- my favorite of which involves Eckhart and Mallory standing on the roof of their business building discussing the ongoing prank. 

In the end, In the Company of Men is not a movie for everyone. While it isn't nearly as messed up as the previous entries on this column, the concept of two men using a handicapped woman for their own entertainment is pretty disturbing and cynical. The commentary that LaBute is trying to make on the nature of some human beings, particularly jaded businessmen, is strong and effective. Still, the film is surprisingly funny at times, especially the boardroom sequence in which Eckhart basically admits to hating everyone. I have to admit that I liked the movie for the most part, mostly due to the LaBute's strong direction and the great acting, especially that of Aaron Eckhart. Man, he was a terrible person in this movie.