Get Out (2017)

Get Out was the film that made me a fan of Jordan Peele and it’s fair to say that he hasn’t really peaked from this although Nope is pretty close. The set up is that Rose (Allison Williams) is taking her boyfriend Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) to meet her parents and from the moment he meets them it's clear that something is going on. They are trying to be too nice to seem like they accept Chris. Allison’s father says that he would have voted for Obama for a third time if he could and that being black is ‘in fashion’.

This film reminded me of The Sixth Sense (in a good way). By that I mean that even when you know the twist the film is still great to watch and it's great to spot the signs. The twist is that all the black characters have white personalities transplanted into them and the original personality is still there and is basically trapped in the body which does sound terrifying. The twist also that the family aren't quite as nice as they seem worked quite well because even though its signposted from the beginning its done in a way which seems natural and creative.

Daniel Kaluuya is very good as Chris. I have always been a fan of his and think that Chris is being nice long past the point where most people would have started freaking out and its on par with his role in Nope. He doesn't scream or resort to hysterics which is quite refreshing in a horror film. I also thought that Bradley Whitford was very good. I have liked him since The West Wing and even though I would have liked to see more of evil Dean, he was great from beginning to end. I also thought that Allison Williams was good as Rose. When the twist happens it seems to come way too naturally to me. I thought she was good as nice Allison but even better as evil Allison. I thought that Kaluuya and Allison Williams made for a good couple.

Sometimes getting comedy right in a horror film is quite a difficult thing to pull off but Get Out manages this and does it well in the form of Rodney. It would have been so easy for the character to come across as over the top but Lil Rel Howery tows the line perfectly and in a way is the right amount of comedy. The reason why the comedy works is that the rest of the film is devoid of anything humorous and so when Rodney is on screen it is a welcome relief even though its only for a brief moment and does derail the pacing of the film.

This is by far the best Jordan Peele film and it showed that you could have a high concept idea in a horror film. It is slow building story with great characters and great performances and is the high watermark for this type of film.