Cerebral Thriller

Rating: 8/10 (27 May 2018)

Before watching this, I read a lot of the reviews, including the ones that called this movie racist and it almost made me decide not to watch it. However, I enjoyed watching Daniel Kaluuya in Sicario and didn't want to pass up the opportunity to see him give another amazing performance. I'm glad I decided to ignore the detractors and watch this movie. It was one of the most intelligent thrillers I've seen in a long time. Jordan Peele's directing style reminded me a lot of Hitchcock in that the scares and thrills creep up on you and you feel something isn't quite right but you're not sure why.
This movie is rife with intricate symbolism and I can see why a course was created and inspired by this movie. Being able to see the events unfold through the eyes of the Chris character was, at times, uncomfortable but also enlightening. Towards the end of the movie I was cheering him on as he gave the Armitage family their comeuppance. Do I believe this movie is racist against white people? Not at all. I believe it is using an exaggerated situation to describe how the writer/director feels or has felt through out his life. I think the ultimate demise of the Armitage family is symbolic of his triumphing over the "Sunken Place".
I also believe people want to take things at face value and not look below the surface or try to see things from someone else's perspective. If you do not go into this movie with an open mind, you will be cheating yourself out of what is arguably one of the best thrillers.