Respect the art or it may kill you in Velvet Buzzsaw, the latest from writer/director Dan Gilroy.
The twisted horror film takes place in the hoity-toity world of the LA art scene, which should mean there will be plenty of characters that deserve gruesome deaths. The trouble starts when a series of impressive paintings are found in the apartment of a dead man. No one was familiar with the artist when he was alive, and the surprising find takes their insular world by storm. The pieces are quickly snatched up, but only after they are sold does their true cost become apparent.
Gilroy made quite a splash with his LA neo-noir Nightcrawler, and it seems like he’s returning to familiar territory here. The seedy underbelly of the city is rife with stories, but Gilroy seems enamored with situations where commerce drags reputable industries down. In Nightcrawler it was the news while Velvet Buzzsaw sees him aiming even closer to home.
Returning for another Gilroy joint is Jake Gyllenhaal and Rene Russo, who will hopefully continue their crackling dynamic from Nightcrawler. Also appearing is John Malkovich, Toni Collette, and Daveed Diggs.
Gilroy coming up with another oddball genre film was sure to attract attention, and you can tell from the strong cast that it got plenty from within the industry. Filmgoers will be excited as well, and with a worldwide Netflix release, it’s sure to land Gilroy’s work in front of more eyeballs than every before. Hopefully he doesn’t waste the opportunity.
Velvet Buzzsaw is directed by Dan Gilroy and stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Zawe Ashton, and Rene Russo.It will be released worldwide on Netflix on February 1st, 2019.
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