PIC of the Week – Greta
Article series by Ray Schillaci
Universal Pictures Home Entertainment delivers a nice slice of a thriller, Greta, with surprisingly very little fanfare. Some may label this film Hitchcockian, but it’s actually very much a Neil Jordan film. You can see that easily by looking back at his impressive canon of movies: The Company of Wolves, The Crying Game, Interview with the Vampire, and Byzantium.
Greta concerns a young woman, Frances, who finds a purse on a subway train. Being an innocent, she seeks out the elderly owner, a lonely old French women, Greta, and returns the purse. Greta discovers that Fran lost her mother a year ago, this prompts her to take advantage of Frances’ kindness as she worms her way into the young woman’s life and becomes somewhat of a surrogate mother.
To say this is one messed up head trip of a film is putting it mildly. Casting is perfect with Chloe Grace Moretz as Fran. She plays innocent and sensitive as well as she can kickass (yes, pun intended). Her eventual discovery of her new friend’s intentions are morbid and unnerving.
Isabelle Huppert with 139 credits to her name just as an actress alone is a seasoned professional that plays down her looks, and goes from sad and lonely to cunning and dangerous. As “Greta”, she proves to have no boundaries, and that’s what makes her all the more frightening. Maika Monroe as Fran’s roommate and girlfriend is deliciously fun and headstrong. She is best remembered for her roles in It Follows and The Guest. She proves just as strong as our other two leads.
There are men in the movie: Stephen Rea. most notable in The Crying Game and Interview with the Vampire, plays a detective and Colm Feore (Chicago, Thor) is Fran’s concerned father. They add to the movie, but are definitely not the main thrust or saviors as some may suspect.
In the end, we can’t help but relate some of Jordan’s technique to Hitchcock and De Palma. But, that’s actually a plus. The film as a whole is a true nail-biter despite what some critics have said. You just can’t pull yourself away from the screen. And, that is largely due to the talents of the three women and Neil Jordan.
This Blu-ray has a nice sharp clear picture. Even the dark scenes appear well-defined. Jordan and his cinematographer tonally capture the Fall season which also lends itself to a sense of dread. The 1080p transfer does not disappoint.
Audio-wise. we’ve been supplied with a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. The sound has enough jump scares and subtle creepiness to make us squirm. There’s not a lot of rear speaker action here since most of the movie takes place inside an apartment or small home.
What the heck, BIG U?! You cheaped out again on extras. We get a very brief preview of how the cast and crew felt about the movie. That’s it. Guess Universal didn’t have much confidence in this release.
Lowest Price – $19.98 – Walmart
