'Peacock' - Film Review 2010

Harkening stylistically back to the glory days of Hitchcock, straight-to-DVD release 'Peacock' deserved a full-fledged theatrical run; chock full of quietly devastating performances, the film is one of the most quietly tension-building offerings since genre-definer 'Fargo'.

John Skillpa (played flawlessly by 'Batman Begins' scarecrow Cillian Murphy) is a small town bank clerk residing in Nebraska, a socially stunted loner living in his deceased mother's Norman Bates-worthy home. A freak train accident in John's backyard lights a powder keg of events that threaten to unveil his deepest secret and unravel the fragile script that has become the glue of routine in John's life.

Excellent supporting roles from Susan Sarandon and Bill Pullman add richly to this sadly under-seen psychological thriller, although Ellen Page ('Juno') is a tad underachieving as single mother Maggie. Little matter though, as 'Peacock' is all Murphy - his stunning multiple roles within the film's duration are both nuanced and manic, a rollercoaster of contrasting emotions at war within a character that is both simultaneously pitiful and menacing.

Detractors might argue that the dual characters at the heart of 'Peacock' are too transparent to make for a believable plot, but the producers do a skillful job at making the small town encompass a time gone by; what may seem obvious in the contemporary sense was often the furthest thing from anyone's mind in the 1950's, and the film accomplishes capturing the past admirably. An intentionally open-ended finale may leave some viewer's scratching their heads, but overall 'Peacock' is a satisfying mystery-laden thriller that is well worth a look.

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