From the edge of your seat to the sunken place

Rating: 9/10 (4 April 2017)

In the Film Industry, race has become a very talked about issue. With events like the #Oscarssowhite campaign last year, prompting hundreds of black filmmakers to be headhunted to join the academy, and then a year later Moonlight wins best picture at the Oscars as well as their being a number of black award recipients. With many films at the moment tackling the very relevant issue of racism, one film stands out above the rest as the most original and all round best in my opinion. Get Out comes to us from the mind of Jordan Peele, one half of comedy duo Key and Peele. The film is a satirical horror comedy about implicit racism, slavery and being the only black person in the room. Now the first black filmmaker to debut with a film grossing over $100 million, Peele has made history and rightly so, as this film is fantastic on every level from comedy, to horror to political satire.
Jordan Peele wrote and directed this film beautifully. The script is extremely clever and well structured, and Peele's direction is just as fascinating. Get Out is a rare breed of horror comedy film as the two genres are kept separate throughout the film, but yet never feel out of place. The main source of comedy in the film comes from character Rod Williams played wonderfully by LilRel Howery. The rest of the comedy in the film is derived from the unknowingly racist comments and assumptions from the old white people in the film. Often with horror comedies it's the subversion of horror conventions that creates comedy, but not in Get Out.
First and foremost, this is an original horror film that explores racial issues. These themes are expressed in an extremely sophisticated manner, within the microcosm of the Armitage residence. To me, the film is essentially a visual metaphor for the slave trade and that it still exists in alternative forms today, whether that be a mental form or being a thing out for display at a social gathering. What's great about this film is the realistic nature of its racism, it's very subtle and implicit, something you can imagine your grandparents would innocently say without knowing. This makes the film feel more authentic and genuine as you can relate to this, regardless what side of the encounter you find yourself on.
The film's direction is superb. As already mentioned, Peele evens out comedy and horror in this film, marrying the two together in a way that shouldn't work but somehow does. Peele is very good at crafting anticipation and suspense in this film, and thanks to Michael Abel's score, the tension in this film is nail biting. Peele is also very good at handling conventions, as he doesn't necessarily rely on horror movie clichés to create an unsettling atmosphere. Jumpscares are in this film, but Peele uses them wisely, rather than making the rookie error of overusing and relying on them. Peele wants to be original in the way he unsettles his audience, he doesn't want to fall back on human reflexes in the way jump scare heavy, modern horror films tend to. Peele uses proportion and I commend him for it. I also thank Jordan Peele for having the most satisfying final act to a film that i've probably ever seen. The use of the police car is simply genius.
As well as Jordan Peele doing an outstanding job on this film, the same can be said of actor Daniel Kaluuya, who plays the films lead, Chris Washington. Samuel L. Jackson may have preferred to see an American black man play the role, but personally I couldn't think of anyone better for the role than Kaluuya. The level of emotional control on display by him in this film is off the charts and simply mind blowing. This is not the first time that I have genuinely been amazed by Kaluuya's acting, he shows the same level of emotional intensity and control in Black Mirrors episode 'Fifteen Million Merits'. After that episode I said he would be an actor to watch out for, and his performance in Get Out is continued proof of that. Get Out also boasts a great supporting cast from good performances from Catherine Keener, Bradley Whitford, Betty Gabriel and comic relief LilRel Howery. But at the end of the day the focus is on Kaluuya and boy does he shine.
Overall, Get Out is an absolutely fantastic horror film. Original, unsettling, funny and with an emotionally mesmerising performance by Daniel Kaluuya. Get Out takes you on a thrill ride like few other film has done before. Hollywood needs more filmmakers like Jordan Peele, visionary directors with original stories to tell. No wonder this film is setting and breaking cinematic records.