Bad People – An Indie Film Review

Hello everyone Kevin here with Film Fervor bringing you another Independent film review. Today we will be discussing the upcoming dark comedy Bad People directed by Alex Petrovich and starring Ben Gleib (of Idiot Test Fame), Bear Badeaux, Sara and Bradly Fletcher(a rare husband and wife acting team), Jason Faunt and many more.

Bad People is a very dark comedy showcasing the lives of some very horrible people as they generally find the most offensive and mean spirited ways to live their life. This film is very hard to describe as it focuses on multiple stories that never sync up with each other but each offer a very intricate and fully detailed story that will leave you laughing out loud at the utter absurdity of the situations the characters find themselves in, (very reminiscent of the film Four Rooms). From a pair of dysfunctional hit men who discuss what is racially offensive to the man who they are hired to kill to a crack smoking, prostitute loving mayor who is caught on tape and yet is reelected due to his outstanding moral fiber and two radically different online daters who manage to utterly ruin their otherwise perfect lives by dating one another.

I have said in the past that comedy is one of the hardest types of film to review as each and everyone of us has a different view on what is funny and I’ll be the first to admit when I saw another dark comedy enter into my review box I cringed. My fears however were very quickly put to rest from the very opening scene of Bad People. The Hitman scene (which really screams of Pulp Fiction) sets it’s hooks very deep into you in a very surprising way and makes you really want to see more. This is a very big deal in this type of movie and director Alex Petrovich does it masterfully which is a testament to not only his skill as a director but to the power of his writing and the talent of the actors.

The acting talent of the movie runs the gamut from several famous television stars to Hollywood blockbuster film (Inception) starring actors. I don’t think I have seen a more diverse and experienced group of mid card talents in an independent film all in one place before and they do a beautiful job bringing this cringe making comedy to life. The characters they bring to life are so over the top (in a good way) that you can’t help either identify with or really really want to see horrible things happen to them.

The production quality is amazing especially when considering the budget the film had. The cinematography is beautify handled in a very professional way that will very quickly make you forget you are watching an Indy film. The shots are all expertly done bringing you into each story in a very personal way and never once do you see a darkening of the screen nor any annoying shaky cam effects and this is unsurprising considering they are using Markwood Films who has been fairly prolific in the film industry for several years.

The audio work of Bad People is also stellar. The musical score is one of the best I have seen in a independent comedy film and completely fits the absurd tone of the film. The audio level of the characters is also very professionally made and they never once drop into the barely audible levels that you find in many independent films and this is a wonderful thing as the dialog the characters have is just so expertly written.

I always try to keep a very objective eye out in all of my reviews and as you know I will showcase a film’s flaws when I spot them but I have to say that Bad People is a gem of a movie and I can find no fault at all with it. With a November release slated if you have any interest in dark and utterly absurd comedies you simply must see this film. If you are an aspiring independent film maker you need to watch this film critically as it has everything you need to be a success, wonderful writing, top notch acting and production values that are second to none.

I give Bad People an impressive five out of five stars.

www.badpeoplethemovie.com