Leatherface

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Leatherface has a similar idea as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning did nearly ten years ago. That idea is exploring the origins of Leatherface as a character. I don’t necessarily think this is a perfect movie, but it does a far better job at what it’s trying to accomplish than Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning ever did. This movie actually wants (and tries) to explore the character. For the most part, the acting was actually pretty strong. Stephen Dorff and Lili Taylor really stand out. Dorff plays a sheriff whose daughter was murdered by the Sawyer family. For most of the movie, he is on a path of vengeance, and you really buy into his anger, bitterness, and pain. Lili Taylor, on the other hand, plays the matriarch of the Sawyer family. She’s a mother with psychopathic tendencies, and she never really tries to hide her anger when she’s mad. The one actor who doesn’t feel that strong is Finn Jones as the deputy for Dorff’s sheriff. His delivery is pretty weak (but not as bad as he was in Iron Fist). The fortunate thing is that he wasn’t in the movie for very long. While I did feel this movie handled Leatherface’s origin better than that other movie I mentioned, I still don’t think it was perfect. The movie never really gives a descent into madness. One quick act makes him snap in the last 20 minutes of the movie, and that’s really where Leatherface is born. The rest of the movie, he just acts like a normal human being. By no means do I want to knock Sam Strike’s performance. He’s actually really good. I also really want to compliment the gore in the movie. It’s actually practical. I’m one of those people who thinks practical gore tends to look much better than CGI gore. Overall, I don’t think Leatherface was a “bad” movie, but its flaws are honestly pretty hard to ignore.

6 / 10