The Barber is a surprise: a seemingly innocuous townsman in the small town of Revelstoke, Alaska, supposedly, turns out to be a serial killer, and makes semi-humorous comments about the behavior of the psychopath during his voice-over. The depressive atmosphere is heightened by the 24 hour dark period in which the action takes place. The piece veers between comedy and murderous repulsiveness. Background music is varied, but in keeping with the title, is sometimes the Barber of Seville. I found the film to be well-acted, with Malcolm McDowell playing a role a bit familiar from the first film I ever saw of his, A Clockwork Orange. McDowell's acting is superb and the other lead actors performed artfully. The story is a dark one, but McDowell's voice-over comments about the psychopath's typicality as a common type in modern society is right on. A disturbing, yet well sketched portrayal.
Review of The Barber
