The Neon Demon (18)
two stars
Dir: Nicolas Winding Refn
With: Elle Fanning, Keanu Reeves
Runtime: 117 minutes
THE director of Drive and Only God Forgives has a reputation for combining high shock value and towering style. In this cautionary tale about the fashion business his aim goes wide, largely due to his dealing in the bleedin’ obvious.
Elle Fanning plays Jesse, fresh off the bus in LA. The innocent abroad in the City of Angels is soon surrounded by jealous model colleagues, misogynistic designers, and other routinely demonic sorts who want to use her till the next pretty face arrives. If you are surprised at any of this you must be far too young to make the 18 age certificate. When the script is not being stunningly predictable it is plain old unconvincing, with twists that will make your head spin.
Winding Refn is on safer ground when it comes to the visuals, but even here he disappoints. The carefully posed scenes, complete with just-so music, are meant to get across the alienation Jesse feels, but they look like snippets from pop videos, shiny and utterly shallow, and the violence throughout is hard to stomach. A dim bulb of a film all round.
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