The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist. It’s a trick that fails spectacularly in Horns, the new movie starring Daniel Radcliffe, who when his girlfriend is mysteriously murdered, sprouts a set of Horns. The town is convinced Ig (Radcliffe) has gotten away with murder and his temples only compound the fact that he has. Desperately trying to prove his innocence, Ig attempts to find out the truth. helped in turn by his newly acquired devilish skills.
While it might sound daft, Horns is cleverly written and downright hilarious in places. The Devil always brings out the worst in people and here is no exception. As the town folk start telling Ig about their innermost thoughts. From a bar owner who wants to burn his bar to the ground for the insurance money to a woman who wants to fuck her golf coach again and many more. All are wonderful to watch and as the movie goes on, these types of scenes evolve where Ig can completely influence what they do, including have an entire bunch of news networks literally beat the shit out of each other for an exclusive interview. It’s these scenes, which run throughout really give a polished shine to Horns. Without them, it would be a bog standard whodunnit. And to boot, there is more than enough clever images on display from religious orientated number plates to snakes and tridents, to keep you entertained and completely captivated.
Radcliffe is on top form here. A movie like this finally breaks the Potter shackles for him. While his wizardy ways well always be with him, he couldn’t be more removed from Harry Potter if he shot a sex tape. Not missing a beat with a spot on American accent, Radcliffe is both likeable and charming. No mean feat when you have a set of Horns growing out of your head. He has pure moments of brilliance here as the movie flashes back and forth to before Merrin was alive. It’s during these moments that Radcliffe does a great job of keeping you guessing. With a decent supporting cast that includes Juno Temple and Heather Graham, Horns rarely puts a foot wrong. It’s pacing is solid and while flashbacks in movies can be overused and dragged out, director Alexandre Aja does a fantastic job of making them work. There is just enough to keep you guessing and each one extends the story just enough to keep you guessing, right up until the reveal.
Unfortunately though, Horns falls down in it’s finale. It goes from being clever and witty to something that’s cheesy and silly and completely out of step with what has gone before it. That said though, Horns is witty and, clever and downright captivating for the best part with a top notch performance from Daniel Radcliffe. Go see this!
