The Perfect Host, starring David Hyde Pierce (Frasier, Hellboy, The Simpsons) and Clayne Crawford (literally nothing worth mentioning) and the directorial debut from Nick Tomnay, cannot be succinctly surmised in any tongues of man, elves or other inhabitants of Middle Earth, because it's got more twists than a twisty, turny thing. So instead, I shall endeavor to briefly describe most of the different sections of this film, without giving too much away so as to render watching it moot, because this film is not to be missed. A quick over-view of this film could be one part Hard Candy, one part....something else entirely, I really couldn't think of anything else. Onwards.
The Criminal
The film opens on John Taylor (Crawford), a bank robber on the run from the lawwwwwwwwwwwwwwww (Stallone style). Having just robbed a bank for a significant sum of money, John is looking for a place to lay low for the night. He drives out to the suburbs and stumbles around a neighborhood, looking for a likely place to hole up. An amusing exchange with a Jehovah's Witness occurs. 'Nuff said, don't want to spoil it. Eventually John opens a letter box, reads a few letters and a postcard from 'Julia' and attempts to bluff his way into Warwick's (Hyde Pierce) house under the pretense of being an old friend of Julia's.
Now then. Anyone who's ever seen any Frasier will instantly recognise Warwick as Niles Crane (Hyde Pierce's character from Frasier), the likeness in mannerisms, style of speech and even dress sense is uncanny. Continuing the similarities to Niles, Warick acts The Perfect Host (ahh, ahh, y'see, there it is) and invites John in to use his phone to track down his luggage, call his cousin and any number of barely believable problems John needs help with.
Needless to say, if you've seen the trailer you'll know what happens now. Warwick accidentally hears on the radio that there is a criminal in his neighborhood, who matches John's description and suddenly the previous air of pleasantries, and quiet small talk is blown away as John snaps into this aggressive, violent hardened criminal. Warwick, being the timid, slight man he is complies with John's demands and threats, cancelling the dinner party he had arranged for that night.
The Obvious Development
Good gravy this was exactly what I was watching this film for, and I was certainly not disappointed. Warwick goes bat-shit bananas crazy. The tables are completely turned as John finds himself drugged and tied to a chair and the head of the dining table, a dinner party in full swing. Warwick continues as normal, only lashing out at John if he disrupts his "perfect evening." During the party John joins in with a conga line, goes swimming, converses with the party guest and the fact that he is a hardened criminal is completely ignored by all the guests. This proved to be absolutely hilarious. There is even a musical number. I'm a huge fan of Frasier, and this was exactly what I expected Niles to have done had Maris pushed him just a little too far That is to say, gone completely stark raving mad whilst at the same time still mingling and chit chatting.
The Gruesome Revelation
During the festivities, Warwick shows John a photo album of all his dinner parties. What John sees is an album that charts one guest in particular from their arrival, through to midnight, 3am and finally 6am the next morning. Progressively getting closer to death. Whilst not as shockingly gruesome as Sloth in Se7en (if you know, you know, if you don't, I envy you) the point is made. John begins to realise, vastly helped by the short cinematic presentation of Warwick's first 'dinner party,' that he is next. Soon to conga off this mortal coil. Deceased. Dead. An ex-dinner guest.
The Slight Glimmer of Hope
As the party is winding down, John becomes desperate, knowing that Warwick must be planning on killing him sometime soon, and so he hatches a plan. He challenges Warwick to a game of chess for his freedom. And wins. Right here, I expected Warwick to just kill him anyway, but he didn't. In fact, John tries to get revenge and stabs Warwick. But it doesn't take, and Warwick knocks John out again.
The Next Morning
John is dead. A massive slit across his throat, wounds over his face and a black eye. Warwick has dragged his corpse to the curb for collection with the morning rubbish. Only, John isn't dead.
Whilst everything up until now has been minor plot spoilers (and I've already left out an entire second plot, and one of the biggest twists) I do feel that it would be a much better idea for you to go and watch the film, and then come back and read the rest of this review, should you wish. I'm only saying, after reading the rest of this you're going to know pretty much everything that's not obvious with this film.
To aid this, there will be enough blank space here so you don't accidentally read any further.
Ok, you have be warned, here goes.
So, all the dinner guests are figments of Warwick's imagination, something that becomes apparent from the first time they appear. Warwick is several sandwiches short of a picnic (understatement) and has actually done nothing to John, except a few light beatings and druggings, nothing serious if you're used to a night on the tiles up North. John wakes up at the curb, tries to get himself together and touches one of the scars. It's a prosthetic, they all are, and he rips them all off. The second plot I mentioned earlier, surrounding the robbery, only becomes relevant now. Warwick is a fucking detective, and not only that, he's working on John's case. Off Mr Crazy-Britches goes to his day job of trying to catch the man he'd spent the previous night abusing in his own home. Wonderful twist.
Meanwhile, John tries to find his girlfriend, who was in on the robbery with him, in order to get the hell outta dodge. Turns out, she'd double-crossed him and is trying to make a run for the border with all the cash. John stops her, and gets away scot-free.......because Warwick catches him, takes the money from John in exchange for his life, and then lets him go. None of this last act is even conceivable during the first two. I was utterly surprised.
So that's that, is it? Not quite. John had the foresight to consider he might get arrested and may even get the chance to expose Warwick for the monster he truly is. To this end, he sends one of Warwick's colleagues a Polaroid of Warwick and John sitting on Warwick's sofa, taken during the dinner party. After some silver tongue dancing from Warwick, he convinces his colleague that, for the good of their friendship, they should treat this matter in a more civil and amicable manner. He does this by inviting him to join a dinner party he's hosting that evening......
Roll credits.
What a brilliant film. I'm not usually one to be caught out by twists and such in films like these, but I really dropped the ball with this one. Not only did I characterise the film as being a "dark comedy with some elements of horror" to friends of mine after watching the trailer, but it took me probably a good hour to realise just how clever this film truly is. (here's the trailer, see for yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4S1dovoZ6bM)
It's not without it's faults, however. The use of steel drums and soft, gentle rock riffs as suspense music kind of breaks the atmosphere a tad, unless it was supposed to make me giggle, in which case point retracted. There is pretty much no explanation as to why Warwick is insane, or his motives for hosting these parties, other than a few seconds of snippy comments from his guests that I'm going to read massively into and use as an indication that they are all people from his life that hurt him in some way, or that he wished he could be like and that is why he hosts parties for them. But that's pure speculation.
I heartily recommend this to fans of....well, good films, really! The only way it could've made me happier would have been if Warwick had used my favorite Niles Crane quote:
"Niles never wins, Niles always loses, which is why Niles lives at the Shangri-La and drives a hatch-back!"It's a thinker, it's got a touch of humour at the obscene juxtaposition of David Hyde Pierce and anything bloodier than a cheeky '88 Merlot, and it's reasonably well put together, considering the unknown director/writer. Do see it. And then try and watch Frasier in the same way, I dare you.
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