💥 Thrillers—🏆 2023 Ranked 🏅 Top 100

"It's lucky for you I'm a vampire." | "I was a lesbian for a while, you know. But it was all just too wet for me in the end. Men are so lovely and dry."

Saltburn was outstanding. I went into it completely blind so I didn’t even know the subject of the film beside Oxford and “estate” and maybe a bathtub, and not knowing the twists and turns of the plot in advance was enjoyable for a first watch, so if you could, I recommend you watch it and don’t read reviews until after.

Caveat, I’m acquainted with someone involved in it, so there’s potential bias. I’m careful to keep discussion vague to avoid tipping off themes. I think most people will say yes, watch it.

Saltburn is the sort of film that you’ll know in the first ten seconds that it will be beautifully shot. I’ll loop back to that, because the second thing I noticed quickly is that Oxford is represented fairly accurately down even to the sound of the surrounding meadows. My degree’s from there and I always love to see it in film in a way that makes me feel home. The social dynamics are intensified (sometimes enlarged to extremes) for drama but they are emotionally plausible in miniature. I found the acting strong and the character arcs compelling. They even got the importance of cycling correctly. God my poor bicycle by the end of my time there. It has seen things it cannot unsee.

It's the micro-scale interactions and moments of subtle and convincing acting that I found most compelling here, rather than any takeaway point about humanity or the rich it might or might not convey. That discussion seems to be happening, but the point is it’s already good enough regardless of how a message might land.

Barry Keoghan and Rosamund Pike are outstanding here. The characters at the end are in a quite different place than in the beginning, but their characteristics are consistent throughout, if buried or unclear at the start. The plot could have gone many ways at most of the important turning points, and those possibilities are believable. The characters all feel self-consistent without tipping off tone or direction before it’s time to know it.

I’ve seen Rosamund Pike in lead roles and I love her. I’ve generally seen Barry Keoghan in supporting roles, and here he has the lead, and he is more than capable of carrying a film as lead. His performance is this film, the way Rebecca Hall’s is The Night House or Resurrection. I think you’ll want to see it.

Looping back to the cinematograpy, I loved it. You’ll likely know Linus Sandgren’s work from La La Land, Don’t Look Up, Babylon, or No Time to Die. I hadn’t paid attention to him before this but I think he does a great job adjusting the shots and framing to fit or augment the mood of a scene. The use of color reminded me a bit of Nicholas Refn’s, though it’s been a while since I watched his films so I may be off base here. It was shot on 35 mm film and it’s noticeable. There are stunning night sequences including a breathtaking rim lit scene in a garden that I think will stand out to viewers.

The plot has a strong visceral impact, especially during the rising action up through the closing sequences. Another person I was watching this with was extremely affected by it. It may not have that same effect on all viewers. For me it was milder but I felt it too.

I can’t say more in this review without it being unsafe to read. I’d like to, so I may write a spoiler review. The take-home message is: absolutely I recommend this film. I hope you’ll enjoy it.

Some Lists:

🏆 2023 Ranked
🏅 Top 100
💥 Thrillers Vaguely Ranked
💎 Slightly Hidden Horror Gems
🌱 Hidden Horror Candidates
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