The Panther Newspaper: 'The Barber' needs conditioning
“The Barber” is about a man’s search for answers and, as an audience member, I was searching for them as well. The psychological thriller looks into what triggers the evil in people as John McCormack (Chris Coy) befriends Eugene Van Wingerdt (Scott Glenn) and tries to uncover how he got away with the serial killing of multiple women. However, my inability to understand the plot kept me guessing throughout the film — and not in a good way.
Chapman Filmed Entertainment made its debut as a production company with the release of “The Barber” on March 27. The movie is reminiscent of most thrillers as numerous twists and turns propel the story forward. Although the movie is produced well with beautiful camera work and superb performances from the actors, the story itself left me feeling unsettled and confused.
From the beginning, we know that McCormack’s father was the detective on Wingerdt’s case, but he was dismissed for tampering with evidence and Wingerdt walked free. A shot rings out with a young McCormack in the next room and then there’s a 20 year time jump that shows a full-grown McCormack on his way to track down Wingerdt.
I spent the next 30 minutes unsure of McCormack’s true intentions, until I was finally given some brief answers. Throughout the film, I couldn’t figure out what McCormack was going to do when his plan finally came together. Even now, I still don’t know what his initial plan entailed or if the one he executed was what he envisioned all along.
There were a few other plot holes that left me questioning the characters’ morals. Maybe it’s my experience as a journalist, but the scariest part of this movie was the unethical decisions made by each character.
It’s alluded that McCormack may be a cop, but he was taken off the payroll for an undisclosed reason. As a (possibly former) police officer, many of McCormack’s actions are cause for concern, such as drugging an innocent woman and beating a man in public. His girlfriend is also a police officer who eventually comes after him and stands by his side, which only added to my confusion over their controversial behavior.
Other side characters bear witness to multiple crimes at different points in the movie, but never divulge anything to the police. I was constantly searching for the hero in this story and finally realized that the central theme may be that a bit of evil resides in everyone, whether they’re a criminal or a bystander.
In the end, “The Barber” examines the fine line that exists between justice and revenge which I appreciated in the sense that the film got me thinking, but I’m still fixated on all of the questions I had that were left unanswered.
1.5/5 Panther paws
Photo courtesy Chapman Filmed Entertainment.
