Film Review: Bug (2006)

I'm sure I've seen Michael Shannon in other films, but it wasn't till his fantastic turn as the unstable Agent Nelson Van Alden in HBO's Boardwalk Empire that I really sat up and took notice. I've seen a few of his films, and while he seems to be playing equally unhinged characters, he always seems to add something different to each one. And to make things really interesting, he's playing General Zod in the forthcoming Superman reboot, Man Of Steel. Inspired casting.

But, so far, the best film I've seen him in is Bug. Made in 2006, and directed by the legendary William Friedkin (The Exorcist, The French Connection, To Live And Die In L.A.), Bug stars Ashley Judd as Agnes White, a lonely woman who ends up holed up in a hotel room with a damaged war veteran, Peter Evans (Shannon), who convinces her that the room is crawling with an insect infestation. But is there really a bug outbreak? Or is it all in their lonely and delusional minds?

Bug is an uncomfortable watch throughout, but make no mistake it is not a 'Insects eat Ashley Judd for 90 minutes' picture, it's a film about loneliness, paranoia, and if you really read into it, drug addiction. Friedkin has made a career making films about the darkness in people, just look at Regan in The Exorcist, Popeye Doyle in The French Connection, Richard Chance in To Live And Die In L.A. or Steve Burns in Cruising. Bug is no different. Both lead characters are tortured souls, whether its loneliness or the after effects of war.

The leads are simply phenomenal. In the hands of lesser actresses and actors, the film would have crossed a line into wildly O.T.T. nonsense, but such is their skill, they keep it both utterly believable without ever appearing silly. Fans of Shannon in Boardwalk must see this, as this is by far the wildest of his performances I've seen.

As it's based on the play of the same name (which Shannon starred in, reprising his role here), most of the action is confined to the Motel and has a relatively small cast of characters. Lynn Collins plays R.C., a 'friend' of Agnes' who introduces her to Peter, and Harry Connick Jr. plays Agnes' dodgy ex Jerry, who shows back up on the scene early on. But it's really a two person show. , and what a show it is, and at the same time, probably Friedkin's best film since 1985's To Live And Die In L.A. Quite the statement.

*****
A truly superb film. Ignore the trappings of the DVD case which make it look like a trashy horror film, and enjoy a superb, albeit at times difficult to watch, character study into paranoia, loneliness and addiction. Couldn't recommend it highly enough.