Bug (2006)

Bizarre, stylish thriller is one of the best big screen tales of creeping paranoia in many years.

Depressed Oklahoma woman living in a rural motel meets a mysterious drifter who claims the army has planted deadly insects in his body as part of a shady experiment. But that's only the beginning...

While the trailer for Bug may make it seem like a David Croenberg-type parasite horror film, Bug is really much more of a dark psychological character study. Never the less this is a compelling and truly twisted little shocker. The plot starts off leisurely, but ultimately builds to some intense and hauntingly good sequences. The characters are convincingly well played, the atmosphere is brooding, and the direction is slickly done.

Ashley Judd is terrific as the lonely woman who becomes infatuated with the stranger and Michael Shannon does a strong performance as the ex-soldier who fears he is part of a sinister conspiracy. Harry Conick Jr. is also great in his supporting role as Judd's abusive ex-con husband.

While Bug may disappoint gore-hounds, those that enjoy a good mind-trip will find much to savor in this warped little film!

*** 1/2 out of ****

Fmovies: I was lucky enough to see the movie in a French theater showing a part of the Cannes film festival selection.

If you know William Friedkin mostly for his gritty thrillers or The exorcist, Bug might be a surprise: a single location, 5 characters, no car chase, but still a lot of ambiguity and psychological exploration.

Bug actually reminds me of the first Friedkin movies, also based on plays and more interested in character study than spectacular effects. It's all the more striking that Bug looks like a young man's movie, filled with energy, experimentation, absurd humor and a genuine sense of artistic freedom. Bug tries a lot of things, doesn't always succeed but remains an intense exercise of style. Recommanded for everybody who enjoys a good surprise.

Certainly not for everyone...but if you appreciate completely unique and intense cinema...check it out. I am so impressed by Ashley Judd, who I always liked, but had no idea of her range and courage. The film is very disturbing...I would describe it as a dark comedy that gets darker and darker and darker...calling it horror is too limited although there are horror elements to it. It reminds me of Cronenberg or early Polanski (Repulsion). But comparisons don't really do it justice. It's exciting to see that there are directors that still have guts. I was exhilarated and disturbed by the end of this film. I recommend it highly to anyone who wants something different and powerful.

Bug fmovies. OK, cheesy joke, I know, but actually the movie really did get to me. I picked up this movie at Hollywood Video, I was pretty curious on what it was, if it was a thriller, horror movie, or drama, it's pretty much a mix of all. But also William Friedkin had directed the film, William isn't just the director of The Exorcist, he's an incredible director who has many works of art under his belt. So I rented Bug and watched it last night and I have to say that this was an incredibly disturbing psychological thriller that really freaked me out. I mean, these performances were absolutely amazing, most people are raving about Ashley Judd's performance, but what about Michael Shannon? In my opinion, he had the best performance, he was so intense and he really draws you into the scene and the story.

Agnes is a woman who is pretty much on her own, she lives in a cruddy little motel, has an abusive boyfriend who is out of jail and won't leave her alone, and also lost a son a while back in a grocery store. She's also a drug addict. When her friend, R.C., brings her friend, Peter to Agnes's house, Peter and Agnes pretty much click from the get go, but when Peter tries to get away from Agnes, he confesses the reason why, that he was part of an army experiment and he's escaped. She asks him to stay anyways, that she's so lonely, and he does, but soon they have delusions of a bug infestation and start destroying each other over something that they swear they can see and is watching them.

The story is so beyond intense, I couldn't believe how much this film got to me. Especially when they reveal the ultimate damage that Peter does to his own character, it sent shivers down my spine. Ashley, Michael, and Harry all brought in great performances and really made this story incredibly interesting and scary to watch. The whole ending was beautifully shot by Friedkin, I was a little disappointed with how quickly it did end, but thinking about it, I'm not sure if there could have been a better ending, but you'll have to see what I mean when you watch it. I would recommend this film, I don't think many users are understanding what it's about or are just focusing on the wrong things here, but this movie I warn you is not for the faint of heart.

7/10