Pig, which thinks it's shocking, is actually boring. It's about a GG Allin look-alike who abuses, rapes, and kills some women on a ranch in the middle of nowhere. These activities are conveyed via a dozen or so one-shot takes. The sun is almost always low on the horizon, so there's constant flare and assorted visual sloppiness. The sound recording is terribly inconsistent, too. It sounds like you're getting what they got during shooting. Much of it is off-mic or inaudible.
The film's only saving grace are excerpts from Tom Leykis's radio show. The GG Allin look-alike plays these when he's in his pick-up or casually raping one of his victims. Leykis, a truly original radio voice who, for years, has explored relationship issues from the male point of view, is heard advising his listeners on what not to do when you date a broad.
Filmmaker Adam Mason further handicaps a thin scenario by playing inappropriate music over the "action". It's like he has no faith in his material and got bored during the edit. While I endured this, I did try to imagine the thing without music. It would have been a bit more effective.
If any of this sounds remotely interesting, I'm sorry to have misled you. Despite the fact that the subject is depravity, too much of it is definitely a bad thing. Yes, we get some rape, some murder, some disembowelment, and some shooting, but it's dull and monotonous. Have you ever experienced somebody screaming into your face for ninety minutes? It's not much fun, is it? The experience of watching Pig is equal to that.
I won't reveal the film's final twist, but it's not too bad. It's kind of amusing, actually.
Andrew Howard, who plays the film's weekend psychopath, takes his job seriously, but Mason does nothing to rein him in when necessary. He overacts at every opportunity. Lorry O'Toole, who plays the psycho's pregnant girlfriend, seems to be channeling 'Shelly', Stan's psychotic retard sister, from South Park. She's acceptable in her role, but irritating (like Shelly, I guess). What's most lacking here is shading. The depraved acts lose all impact because there's no contrast. Everything is manic and "evil". Mason ought to take a careful look at Texas Chainsaw (the original) in order to learn how to do depravity effectively. Despite its rep, that film is not non-stop violence and dismemberment. It derives much of its power from contrast.
Unfortunately, Mr. Leykis's fine work is not credited here.
The talented and extraordinary Tom Leykis
I find that insulting to the man and seriously disrespectful; it's ironic, too, because he's the only human involved with this mess (unknowingly probably) who possesses true talent.
