What starts out as a bad moment with a seeming serial killer brandishing a pizza delivery box becomes an even worse one for a couple in the new horror noir CHOP CHOP.
A couple, the Matthews, are looking forward to a night of romance and fulfilment at their apartment when there is a mysterious knock at the door. Whilst the man spends a penny, the lady peeks through the peephole and sees a man in orange garb holding a pizza box.
One minute he is there, the next minute he is gone. However, a minute later, the man is sitting in the room holding the TV remote control and a minute after that he is determined to make his mark or two on the woman, but her partner suddenly manages to physically restrain the seeming killer, causing her to seize the opportunity to put the assailant in his place…..
OK, it all seems a bit bemusing at first, but as you can predict, all is not what it seems for every single character, including the couple who are struggling to come to terms with what is going on. The set-up described above is merely the precursor to a series of far deeper bonds with far darker individuals within the criminal underworld, with a policeman merely trying to do his job when he is investigating and following the couple during what appears to be a routine night out on the case.
CHOP CHOP might not be a classic Coen Brothers like BLOOD SIMPLE in terms of level – and there clearly is a hint of Tarantino along the way, but it still is something that you have to keep your eye on as the plot thickens – or unravels, which is where the film does fall down a little bit.
Characters seem to be a little under-cooked, amidst relationships that are hazily defined as the film moves towards a bloody and brutal climax. You are found a little wanting in terms of the connection of the various character strands in this film, but the noir elements are true to form and suitably shocking to see.
That said, at around eighty minutes long, CHOP CHOP is mercifully short – and sometimes that is just enough to hold the audience’s attention in a culture where some blockbuster films clock in at over two hours (MARVEL films for example)
