The Locusts Review
by James Berardinelli (berardin AT cybernex DOT net)October 1st, 1997
THE LOCUSTS
A Film Review by James Berardinelli
RATING (0 TO 10): 8.5
Alternative Scale: ***1/2 out of ****
United States, 1997
U.S. Release Date: 10/3/97 (limited)
Running Length: 2:05
MPAA Classification: R (Sexual situations, mature themes, violence, profanity)
Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Cast: Vince Vaughn, Jeremy Davies, Kate Capshaw, Ashley Judd, Paul Rudd, Daniel Meyer, Cynthia Capshaw
Director: John Patrick Kelley
Producers: Brad Krevoy, Steve Stabler, Bradley Thomas
Screenplay: John Patrick Kelley
Cinematography: Phedon Papamichael
Music: Carter Burwell
U.S. Distributor: MGM
In the dusty, dry world of THE LOCUSTS -- a Midwestern American cattle ranch during the late 1950s -- everyone has a secret. But, unlike films that live or die on the basis of unexpected plot disclosures, secrets are only important to THE LOCUSTS in the way they define the characters, explain their motivations, and drive their actions. It's entirely possible to guess one (or more) of the truths that these men and women keep buried before those revelations are explicitly divulged, but such insight is unlikely to diminish your appreciation of this film in any significant way. In fact, it may actually enhance it.
THE LOCUSTS is a genuinely powerful motion picture that achieves its potency through character development rather than audience manipulation. This approach is becoming increasingly rare in dramatic motion pictures, which often try too hard to generate tears, and it speaks highly of first time feature director John Patrick Kelly's ability to tell a story. THE LOCUSTS is also successful in the way it manages to interweave small moments of triumph with intimate tragedies. This is not by any means a "feel good" motion picture (quite the opposite, in fact), but there are times when it touches a core of optimism.
THE LOCUSTS opens with a rugged stranger, Clay Hewitt (Vince Vaughn), entering the town of Sealy, Kansas. He claims to be looking for temporary work to finance his cross-country trip to California, where his brother, a marine, is stationed. Clay finds a job and a place to live at a local cattle ranch run by Delilah Ashford Potts (Kate Capshaw), who has a reputation for giving her ranch hands "a room, a job, and a whole lot more than [they] bargained for." While there, Clay strikes up a fragile friendship with Flyboy (Jeremy Davies), Mrs. Potts' emotionally-damaged son. Flyboy is known for his isolation and passivity -- he speaks only to a "pet" bull -- until Clay's easy manner and persistence encourage Flyboy to open up. Meanwhile, Clay also becomes friendly with a local girl named Kitty (Ashley Judd), who is willing to help with his project to rebuild Flyboy's confidence and psyche. But change is one thing Mrs. Potts will not tolerate, and, on the ranch, she wields all the power.
Writer/director Kelly has chosen a strong cast to work with. Vince Vaughn, who made his mark in SWINGERS before appearing in THE LOST WORLD, gives his strongest performance to date -- an intelligent and believable rendering of a man trapped by powerful emotional forces. Ashley Judd (currently appearing in KISS THE GIRLS), who has displayed amazing versatility as an actress, creates a character with a resilience and appeal that recalls her lead role in 1993's RUBY IN PARADISE. Kate Capshaw, best known as either Mrs. Steven Spielberg or "the girl from the second INDIANA JONES movie", renders Mrs. Potts with the intensity and style of a femme fatale -- sexy, mysterious, and dangerous. The most striking performance, however, belongs to Jeremy Davies (SPANKING THE MONKEY), whose interpretation of Flyboy is worthy of mention alongside that of Dustin Hoffman from RAIN MAN, Tom Hanks from FORREST GUMP, Billy Bob Thornton from SLING BLADE, and Geoffrey Rush from SHINE.
THE LOCUSTS is as rich in themes as it is in three-dimensional characters. There's atonement, redemption, revenge, and a particularly brutal examination of the shifting balance of power between men and women, and parents and children. Clay is impelled by a need for salvation -- a need that is so overpowering that it blinds him to the potential consequences of his actions. Flyboy is driven by a desire to achieve a semblance of normalcy. Love compels Kitty, the most open character in the film, and the only one of the four protagonists without a secret. But the one with the darkest motivation is Mrs. Potts, who makes no excuse for her savagery and the manner in which she abuses every kind of power at her disposal.
The narrative for THE LOCUSTS does justice to each of these motifs as it gradually peels back the onion-like layers of the characters to reveal the complexity that lies beneath. The film doesn't offer any simpleminded solutions to difficult issues, and there are two very different ways to interpret the ending (depending on whether you're an optimist or a pessimist). THE LOCUSTS explores both extremes of the human experience -- the purity of innocence and the viciousness of cruelty -- as well as many of the ambiguous shades in between. If there's one misstep in THE LOCUSTS, it's that the meaning of the title (which is a metaphor) is explained a little too obviously. But that's an extremely minor quibble and it does little to detract from the strength of this film, which is one of the year's best.
Copyright 1997 James Berardinelli
- James Berardinelli
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