CRUSH
US, 2013, 85 minutes, Colour.
Sarah Bolger, Lucas Till, Crystal Reed, Caitriona Balfe, Leigh Whannel.
Directed by Malik Bator Bader.
Crash is an entertaining time-passer, a murder mystery where the audiences attention is directed in quite a different direction from solving the mystery.
There is a striking opening when a young girl pushes a young boy from the roof of a house. The action then moves forward several years and the audience assumes that a rather shy young girl at high school is the goal of the prologue grown up. She has a fixation on one of the top athletes in the football team and begins to stalk him.
But, the girl of the prologue is someone entirely different, the manager of a shop where the stalking girl works. There are various threats to the young man, to his girlfriend, to his friend in the football team, as well as the man who works with her at the shop. He is played by writer Leigh Whannel (writer of Saw and other horror films).
The film was targeted at a younger audience And may well reach its mark.
1. The target audience? Young adults? Older teens?
2. A stalker story, a murder mystery?
3. The town, homes, school, sport, the shops? Musical score?
4. The prologue, the boy and girl sitting on the roof, the boy and his talking, kissing the other girl, his being pushed from the roof?
5. Scott, his age, character, sport prowess, relationship with his father, his mother leaving, his injuries, the advice of his coach? His exercise and gym work? Running? His relationship with Jules? Bess and her stalking?
6. The screenplay, focusing attention on Bess, her appearance, quiet, working in the shop, getting advice from Andie, her being present at crucial situations? Scott and his warnings?
7. The shop, Andie and Dave, their work, Bess helping, normal set up?
8. The parties, the students, Bess present? The teacher and her talking with Scott? Not teaching any more? Her death?
9. The mysterious hand tripping Scott’s friend on the steps, pushing Jules over the ridge? The writing on the window? The love notes?
10. Scott, warning Bess, discussions with his father, his father not wanting to play sport? The relation with Jules, sexual? Suspicions of Bess? Jules put off, ignoring him?
11. The reality, the revelation of Andie being the stalker, the bike accident, her cutting her leg, the injury, his taking her home, in the basement, tying him up, mad? Dave arriving, her having led him on, her certainly killing him?
12. Bess, the boy who liked her, coming to the rescue?
13. Andie, in the asylum, her treatment?
14. A satisfactory mystery with stalking – and the audience being steered in the wrong direction?
