Random Acts of Violence (2019) User Reviews (62)

Interesting ideas, but not much else

[habakukofice · 5/10 · 1 August 2020]

The film has some interesting ideas for both plot and cinematography but isn't actually good. The plot is slow and uneventful, and the ending comes out of nowhere.

The comic book visuals are potentially interesting.

The cast is good and the technical side is good enough to watch. but I wouldn't recommend it.

Tries hard, could have been better

[jkt2006 · 5/10 · 29 March 2021]

The director seems to work hard to make this film look like a highly stylish gory thriller but alas in the act of stylishness it ends being a wannabe slasherman movie with not much thrill or solid substance. Loads of gore also do not help much to give it the crime thriller feel. Had it been made as a straight crime thriller it would have been a way more enjoyable movie and with better results.

"Random Acts..." attempts to make Slasher Scary Again!

[JRodFilms · 4/10 · 8 September 2020]

Random Acts of Violence tells the story of a comic book writer who is having trouble coming up with an ending to his new story, all while being stalked by a killer who is stylizing the murders after his books.

The story beings on a road trip with Todd played by Jesse Williams and his girlfriend Kathy played by Jordana Brewster heading to a publicity interview for his comic book series Slasherman, with his two assistant friends Ezra and Aurora, played by Jay Baruchel and Niamh (Neeve) Wilson, respectively.

The interview starts out great, but quickly gets railroaded when Todd begins getting grilled about basing his comic book on actual murders that happened along the highway. He then receives a phone call during the interview with a cryptic numeric message from an unidentified man. The gang think nothing of the phone call, until they stumble upon a crime scene which is similar to how Todd's characters were murdered in one of his books.

Random Acts of Violence is a throwback to the 80s slasher film but unfortunately, there are some flaws to the film. It seems like a lot is missing from this story, and it was quickly wrapped up in its short 81 minute runtime. There is really no introduction to the killer aside from his lair which looks eerily similar to Leatherfaces in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. There is also a Christmas themed side story which does not get resolved until the end of the film. Christmas themed movies during Summertime is always awkward.

The title Random Acts of Violence is actually appropriate. However, while things were unfolding on screen I was questioning why the film was moving in this direction. I think with a story a little more fleshed out, it wouldn't have felt so shocking and random.

Horror film these days are too funny and do not take themselves serious. Many people argue that real life is scarier than movies. If that is the case, then horror should be at peak right now because it should be flooded with real life inspiration. Films like Silence of the Lambs and A Nightmare on Elm Street were based on real life events that were able to be transformed to film. The one thing I was able to take away from Random Acts of Violence is that it actually attempted to take itself seriously. Where so many horror films are now dual genres pairing oh so well with Comedy, Random Acts of Violence hopefully will begin to set a trend of making the slasher film scary again.

Random acts of pacing

[eric-312-417476 · 3/10 · 13 September 2020]

If this were a short film I would probably rate it a little higher. In fact, my guess is that it started as just that since there is so much unnecessary filler here. And the pacing is way off. In the way only a first time filmmaker falls prey to.

Unique little horror flick

[misanthr0pist · 7/10 · 9 March 2021]

I thought this was a really unique little horror flick.

Sure, it has a few of the standard horror movie tropes, and I feel like the script was a little over-written, but that's kind of where the criticisms end.

It was a fun little plot that was engaging throughout the (fairly short) run time. The ideas about art imitating life and vice versa was a fun take, and it didn't feel too on-the-nose. I appreciated the fact that it was pretty to the point and didn't feel the need to drag things on. The kills were fun, which is always important in a film like this, and I want to particularly point out cinematography and lighting; they did an excellent job with both. The third act was also a really great way to end it, which I was surprised by.

I didn't have high hopes going into this one but I really enjoyed it!

Not Very Good

[sam-penman · 3/10 · 22 August 2020]

SPOILERS.

Firstly, the acting is terrible. It's not remotely scary. Even for a low budget indie flick they've managed to make it look even cheaper. I never felt invested in any of the characters. And the climax is lazy, cliche and obvious.

And lastly, and it's been mentioned in other reviews-but this really irritated me so it bears repeating-the lead character looks white (even if he isn't). Tanned, no doubt, but white all the same. So why did they choose to represent him as definitely, incontrovertibly, black as a child? Especially when that reveal is supposed to mean something. It meant nothing to me. I was just sitting there thinking "so who's the kid? What's going on? Who am I? Why am I watching this film?" It was only in the last few scenes that I realized they were supposed to be the same person. And I can't help thinking it was done deliberately to confuse the viewer into watching this nonsense to the end instead of switching it off-which is what I should have done. Or better still, not wasted my time watching any of it.

A grissly horror from comedian Jay Baruchel

[eddie_baggins · 6/10 · 20 August 2020]

If you were to pick a director to helm the big screen adaptation of Justin Gray's and Jimmy Palmiotti's underground comic Random Acts of Violence I am fairly positive Jay Baruchel isn't the first name that would've sprang to mind.

The Canadian funnyman, best known for his supporting turns as a wise-cracking loudmouth in the likes of This is the End, Goon and Knocked Up, shows a completely different side to himself in this Shudder release as he takes on duties behind the camera, in the writer's room with co-screenwriter Jesse Chabot and in front of the camera as the highly strung Ezra.

A grisly affair that follows Jesse Williams comic creator Todd as he ventures to a fan convention with his girlfriend Kathy (played by the Fast and the Furious's Jordana Brewster), his business partner Ezra and their assistant Aurora (Niamh Wilson), only to find that he and his fellow road trippers face the deadly proposition of his comic's lead The Slasherman becoming a bloody reality, Random Acts of Violence is a true gore-filled exploitation ride as Baruchel holds nothing back as the bodies start piling up in creative and regular fashion.

Taking aim at the toxicity of fandom and how sometimes peoples heroes can be anything but upstanding citizens, Random has a message that is tucked away in the midst of all its more slasher orientated antics but one wouldn't expect to walk away from this quickfire 80 minute affair with any life lessons as Baruchel's low-budget exercise fancies shock value moments over anything of real substance.

With this focus in mind Random is a sure-fire hit with genre fans and with the big screen iteration of Slasherman the year has one of its most memorable horror figures but when the film is focused more around the character beats and interactions the audience is left wanting as our protagonists get caught deeper and deeper in a life and death game of cat and mouse.

Todd himself is a fairly unlikable creation, Williams unable to evolve his creators arrogance into something that becomes relatable and likable while Kathy, Ezra and Aurora are more fodder than anything else but the lack of a truly gripping character doesn't detract from a genre-orientated offering that acts as a showcase for an unlikely career pivot from Baruchel.

Final Say -

A gory and grim affair, Random Acts of Violence is one for horror buffs specifically as this blood-filled affair shows us a whole new side to comedian Jay Baruchel.

3 toy trucks out of 5

Strange Acts of Movie

[sajidkhan-30022 · 5/10 · 31 July 2020]

The premise of the movie is rather decent but it lacks real character development and thrilling moments to be called a scary thriller. Script seems good but screen adaptation is where it was lost in translation. Overall an average watchable movie but not a cinematographic masterpiece.

If you're a horror fan, you'll like this

[chris-bossie · 7/10 · 28 August 2020]

C'mon... this is a great horror movie! It should be at least 6+

Its one reedeming feature..it ended...

[mdbourke-282-899973 · 3/10 · 31 August 2020]

Oh Shudder!! Why oh Why? Shudder, like Netflix is famous for producing sub-par content, and sadly, this is beyond sub-par. The cast are proof of their lackluster careers, both the acting and the self-indulgent script were bloody awful. This movie cost 3.5 million dollars to make? I am not sure where the money went. Do yourself a favor, skip this one and watch a classic instead..like The Changeling or Exorcist 3.

An interesting take on the slasher genre

[thomassalvitti · 10/10 · 30 August 2020]

I gave this movie a 10 just to balance out the bad reviews I don't think it deserves to be so poorly rated Great acting. Good characters. Some funny dialogue and creative kills I always love seeing a new slasher when it's not complete schlock, and this delivers Definitely worth the watch. Short and sweet

Alright

[deshan-78580 · 6/10 · 31 August 2021]

Despite being too much style over substance as well as mediocre overall screenplay, I still at least had an alright time watching this movie due to decent performances, good gore & violence, pleasing visuals and cinematography, and some nice music here & there. Recommended mostly as a time waster of a flick.

Thumbs down

[omarcantbestopped · 4/10 · 12 September 2020]

I really didn't like this movie. The background music was too loud to hear anything. It took forever to get going. Barely see any action or any killing and the ending sucked.

I hated this film

[punisherversion1 · 1/10 · 10 September 2020]

Random Acts of Violence Directed by Jay Baruchel. Written by Jay Baruchel and Jesse Chabot

Random Acts of Violence comes from the Canadian mixture of Michael Cera and Christian Slater Jay Baruchel adapting a comic about an artist who draws murder comics and these comics become the inspiration for a serial killer. It is a whole bunch of meta. The movie is even designed to resemble a comic in style. The colors are bright and extra heightened. It is similar to what they did with Punisher:War Zone. You are not meant to assume any of this takes place in reality.

Well it does at first. Jesse Williams(Grey's Anatomy) is the creator of Slasherman, the murder comic ending its run. He is searching for an ending that is escaping him at every turn. His business partner, assistant and girlfriend decide to take a road trip to some big comic event. His girlfriend is doing research for a book. A killer is on their path and they are about to cross.

Now that we know what the movie is about, let's hear some positives. There aren't any. The idea is sound. It has elements that pique your interest and make you want to go on the journey. The film wipes its butt with it. It rips through a huge chunk of the potential. It forces the characters into corners that doesn't feel like they would naturally go there. It brings up these elements of art vs reality and the commodification of true crime but it doesn't do anything with it. It pushes it out of the way in favor of some gore set piece. Gore set pieces are fine but they're alot of nothing when it doesn't have anything backing it up.

The other thing is the characters. They are all a giant bunch of assholes and I could not stand them. They had me wanting to throw a boot through my television. Obviously I didn't do that because that would have been expensive. There was a scene at a police station with the most unprofessional police officer I've ever seen. All I could remember in between bouts of seeing red(movie's style not anger) is how much I didn't care what happened to these people. I felt no sadness at their loss. I felt only apathy and eventually rage at having 70 minutes wasted. The potential was flushed away.

Jay Baruchel needs to stop and take a moment before making another movie. He messed this one up good. Why do horror movies cast their characters almost exclusively as assholes? Why? I enjoy watching a killer take out buttholes but the movies doing this aren't those Jason Voorhees flicks. It works somewhat in those. If it becomes the norm, it feels like hell. You're forced to spend an hour and a half on average with people you wouldn't be caught dead associating with. I don't associate with anyone anymore nowadays anyway. This is what happens when friends of 14 years tell you you're the enemy of the country. Why would I want to spend more time with people like a Facebook comment section? Why horror movies? You can spend some time on the human characters too otherwise you become Rob Zombie. The murder and bloodshed become meaningless.

I give this movie an F. I hated this movie.

BOO

[js-66130 · 6/10 · 3 August 2020]

Oh what coulda been. But then again, final acts in the serial killer horror genre rarely deliver on any promises made. Most just get messy.

And yes, "Random Acts of Violence" gets messy. Not for the weak of heart, this slasher builds on the premise of a copy cat killer aping the debauchery of a gruesome comic book. The author (and friends) gets caught up in the mayhem, which poses the age old question of life imitating art, except there is another art thrown in to suggest a loop.

Best known for his comedic Hollywood turns, Jay Baruchel writes, directs and co-stars in what is obviously a labour of love pet project. From the flippant opening that creates an illusion of comfort, to the harsh transition to the horrific - don't go in there - gore sequences, the set up and execution is classic shock.

Instead of challenged teenagers doing stupid things, our group of victims (sorry) not only react accordingly, but also try and dissect the situation, and the consequences of their actions. But then, well, things go off the rails.

Baruchel is clearly a studious fan of the genre, but like many before him, gets carried away, and cannot properly wrap his story in a satisfying manner. Maybe next time.

• hipCRANK

Trash

[cfrtim · 2/10 · 2 August 2020]

Why bother making movies like this. No storytelling, no acting, no direction, no heart. Would like to support Canadian indie talent, but this ain't it. Just another pointless slasher, with typical scenes and predictable characters

A Surprisingly Random Let Down

[ozena6604 · 6/10 · 25 August 2020]

A solid effort on everyone's part. Not the worst acting, not the worst writing. But there are some issues that kept me from fully enjoying this one. There seemed to be some dramatic character switches that made little to no sense & with those also came such an advancement in the story that I was left confused as to why we were there. Most of the kills are VERY BRUTAL & kept me interested but they themselves are few & far between.

Lead Jesse Williams has some high moments in his acting but I can't help but feel that either the cast or the script around his character let him down. With that said I was highly excited to not only see that Jay Baruchel was in the film but also wrote this movie, sadly his magical comedic touch was nowhere to be found.

I thought this would be so much better, it just fell short in to many areas for me to give this a high review.

Had potential but was rather disappointing

[stvnqch · 5/10 · 2 August 2020]

The film's premise is interesting but overall lacked a sense of direction (especially at the midpoint of the movie). The technicality and cast of the movie was decent - although there was a stylistic choice of a darkish green tone in some of the scenes (I believe it was to mimic comic book visuals) which could make or break it for some people - but personally, it felt too much and unnecessary.

The film is scary in terms of the premise and could've been a lot more than just your conventional slasher flick, but the way it was executed narratively and character wise, it was more-so of a disappointing watch.

Rare Gore Driven Indy Slasher Movie With Potential

[Chadstermac · 7/10 · 26 August 2020]

Definitely fits the Serial Killer Horror/Slasher Genre mark in my opinion. Especially, when compared to the rare attempts towards the many over-hyped Hollywood "Horror" flicks of recent times. It was quite refreshing to find a horror movie that didn't involve child possession, dolls, zombies, doomed popular teens, Exorcisms, or Paranormal Ghost Hunters. Thrillers with R ratings, that should be rated PG-13. Serial killer movies that combine the right amount of gore, with the psychological aspects are rare these days, - in my opinion. Definitely Not for everyone. Fans of Saw, Bone Collector, and Terrifier would be the core audience for one of the better "Shudder" offerings this year. Very realistic gore for a lower budget indie horror. It definitely kept me watching until the very end. I do feel the storyline was a bit scattered at times, unbalanced pacing, sprinkled with unrealistic character reactions, and a vague attempt at a back story are obvious flaws. That said, the murder scenes are brutal. This aspect by far, is the movies greatest redemption. Additionally, the main characters (with the unfortunate exception of the actual killer), are interesting, and relatable. I have seen many slasher flicks, and not very many make me jump. This one did. Executed with clever, and unexpected moments of terror make this film work, despite a relatively low body count. The disturbing realism of those scenes carry the film. There is a moral responsibility aspect thrown in. Obviously, something that the director leaves hovering over the majority of the plot. This can seem a little odd to some like me, considering the fact that most horror/action movies wouldn't even exist without violence...especially this one. The majority of the plot seems to question the glorification of violence, yet never tries to convince you to take either side of this age old debate. The director seems inclined to leave that for the audience to create their own opinion. RAOV had plenty of potential. It definitely has it's flaws, and caters to a niche horror audience. However, I think that the film was a refreshing discovery, and a decent horror directorial debut at the very least.

Didn't hold my Attention

[bgmagic22 · 2/10 · 1 August 2020]

I'm a fan of Jesse Williams so I wanted to like this but I just couldn't. It took me 4 hrs to finish it because I kept falling asleep and rewinding. It just didn't thrill or scare me and there was something off about Jesse's acting. He wasn't believable in this role.

Do it

[asmutko · 10/10 · 15 November 2020]

If you love horror, like actually like horror not like all these "omg I am a horror critic and my opinion matters because I think slow burns are the bees knees" good solid, soundtrack, fast paced, just do it. LOVED IT.

Delivered as expected

[axleoke · 7/10 · 24 August 2020]

Not sure why everyone is so critical of this. It's a gore genre film so what are your expectations? Decent to watch, has some kind of message, and unique enough of an idea and execution.

Random acts of stupidity

[robdcrotts · 3/10 · 19 July 2022]

Who watches this crap back and says "Perfect" without saying, "Why would they do that?" "Why didn't they do this? Many of the killings on this movie would not of happened if the people did not let the guy kill them, literally just waited to die. Expected a lot more from this, but was not shocked at all it was not good, seems like a trend lately.

Random Acts of Violence

[JoBloTheMovieCritic · 5/10 · 23 July 2021]

5/10 - a rather original idea and high production quality doesn't transform to something special thanks to poor execution in the writing department and an unsatisfying conclusion.

only the last 20 minutes

[trashgang · 6/10 · 3 August 2020]

Clocking in at arund 80 minutes it should be a quick moving story to tell it all but sadly it wasn't. The idea was okay, comic book writer and real life do come together but...

It all takes too long before it goes wrong. It's the last 20 minutes that this flick picks up speed and the horror and gore comes in. Before it's a mixture between boring moments and horror moments. The killer walks around but the murders were all years back so I didn't really got that part but must be me.

So at the end it was a so-so flick that only delivers the goods the last 20 minutes.

Gore 1,5/5 Nudity 0/5 Effects 2/5 Story 2/5 Comedy 0/5