Paul Bartel's Eating Raoul is a short, succinct, and sinfully delightful black comedy about a prim and proper married couple who seduce, murder, and rob rich degenerates in order to fiance their dream of opening a restaurant. The couple, Paul and Mary Bland, come into this arrangement by chance after Mary accidentally kills a local swinger who tried to rape her. After realizing that this would be an easy, albeit messy and unpleasant, method of getting enough money (as well as a great method of revenge against the "perverts" and "degenerates" that they loathe), they begin their crime spree. However, things are complicated when their "business" is accidentally discovered by a locksmith/burglar named Raoul. But they set up an arrangement with Raoul wherein he "disposes" of the bodies (in reality selling them to a dog food company) for cash. There's just three problems. 1) Raoul doesn't tell the Blands that he is also selling their victims' cars and keeping all of that cash to himself. 2) Paul begins to suspect that Mary and Raoul are having an affair. 3) Mary and Raoul are totally having an affair. What happens? Well, let's just say that it is violent, dark, and absolutely hilarious. The film was directed by Paul Bartel (who also plays Paul Bland), who is also known for making Death Race 2000 (1975). Both films demonstrate his deadpan approach to outrageous settings and social situations: despite everything that goes on, the characters act like everything is normal. For instance, you may think that Paul and Mary might be freaked out by killing a rich pervert with a frying pan while dressed like Minnie Mouse. But they treat it as business as usual, despite the fact that they mention to each other how much they hate having to resort to such crimes to achieve their dream. In doing so, the film demonstrates a delirious disconnection of tone and content that solidify its status as a cult classic.
9/10
0 Yorumlar