Walk All Over Me (2007) Movie Review
As odd ball black comedy thrillers go, “Walk all over me” is about as good as they get. Its a film that really took me off guard when I sat down to watch it because I hadn’t really heard anything about it and besides I poor trailer for it that I saw I had know idea what to expect. What I got was a film that managed to walk the line between seriousness and dark comedy almost perfectly, with an original and intriguing plot.
The film revolves around a twenty something girl named Alberta, played wonderfully by the equally beautiful Leelee Sobieski. Its clear in the first few minutes of the film that Alberta is a young women thats in a lot of trouble. She works at a gas and bus stop out in nowhere in the middle of the beautiful Canadian prairies. Alberta has gotten mixed up with an apparent drug ring and in fear for her life makes a split second decision and escapes on a bus headed towards the west coast. Once Alberta reaches Vancouver she is almost overwhelmed by the big city but looks up an old friend in hopes of finding help. Alberta’s old friend is no other then Celene, played by Tricia Helfer. Celene has made a very nice living for herself as a professional Dominatrix. Of course Celene’s life style is a complete shock to the quiet and timid Alberta but she is willing to do whatever it takes to make a new life for herself and is more then happy to accept an offer to stay with Celene till she gets back on her feet. At first things seem to be working too. Alberta gets a job at a supermarket and works hard to try and make a little money. The problem though is that she isn’t making enough and she can’t help but be fascinated with Celene’s line of work and her apparent ability to make men beg at her feet. Eventually Alberta decides to pretend to be Celene and gets in contact with a new client. When the two meet she is almost instantly thrust into a organized crime ring and gets caught up in more trouble then she has ever been in her life.
A synopsis of the film doesn’t really do it justice because its really all about how it’s executed. Canadian writer and director Robert Cuffley’s direction really shines in this film. Cuffley isn’t exactly an experienced filmmaker but he proves with this film that he clearly has all the tool and talent to make great films. He clearly makes a decision within the first few minutes of the film to let the entire movie rest upon the performances of the two young female leads which is always a risk but in this film at least it pays off. The plot of the film isn’t really complex but its simple and effective and is fresh enough to carry the film but it never does. Instead its repeatedly push to the side in favor of character interaction between Alberta, Celene and the rest of the supporting cast. Even if the actors and they’re ability to carry the film shine above everything else the script that Cuffley co-wrote certainly can’t be ignored though. The script isn’t only original but its also impressively fast paced and intelligent. The script has some laugh out loud scenes written in but it also nails the odd off beat thriller feel the film has, perfectly and gives everything a fresh new feel that we haven’t necessarily seen before.
The bottom line to the film’s success though is the performances by the lead actors. Leelee Sobieski is an actress that enjoyed a very successful career in the late 90’s, even having a role in Stanley Kubrick’s last film. She also starred in a couple genre offerings (The Glass House, Joy Ride) but seemed to have kind of disappeared for a couple of years. In the last year or so though she really seems to be working non-stop and taking on more challenging and interesting roles. Sobieski is perfect in the role of timid Alberta. She is absolutely beautiful on screen and demands attention in a dominatrix outfit but she also gives the right off beat performance that is needed by the lead actress to carry the tone of the film. Tricia Helfer probably best known for her role on the new Battlestar Galactica tv series is equally great as Celene. Helfer’s role couldn’t be more different form Sobieski’s, which is why the interaction between the two was so great. The rest of the cast were all very strong as well epically the three men playing the main villains.
Overall I highly recommend this black comedy/thriller. It really surprised me with it’s fresh and original script acting and most importantly it’s ability to mix different genres to create a truly entertaining piece of cinema. Another bonus for the film is the fact that it’s a Canadian film that was funded through the film making grants that the Canadian Government offers and its great to see a good movie that’s actually marketable coming out of the program.
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