From directors Jonathan Milott and Cary Murnion (Cooties, Bushwick), Becky is an action thriller that ventures into horror territory, but is also a film about how to deal with loss. A year has passed since Becky (Lulu Wilson, Deliver Us From Evil) lost her mother. Becky not only still hurts about it, but is also angry that the powers at be took her mother away from her. Her father, Jeff (Joel McHale), is attempting to move on. Jeff has a new girlfriend, Kayla (Amanda Brugel, The Handmaid’s Tale), that he intends to marry. He tries to cushion that blow by breaking the news to Becky at the family’s lake house, but Becky is having none of it.
At the same time, a group of convicts have just escaped prison. Led by Neo-Nazi cult leader Dominick (Kevin James) along with his right hand man Apex (Robert Maillet, Sherlock Holmes), the ruthless cult kills every man, woman, and child that gets in their way. Dominick will stop at nothing to do what’s best for the brotherhood. A key is hidden in the basement of the lake house Becky is staying at, but when it turns up missing Becky and her family stand in the way of expanding Dominick’s so-called brotherhood.
This is Kevin James’ debut as a dramatic actor and it’s a crazy role to tackle for a guy who’s known for comedy. James portraying a Neo-Nazi is one of those unbelievable things you have to see to believe. James has an intimidating presence as Dominick. The film showcases the giant black Swastika on the back of James’ bald head multiple times over the film’s 100-minute duration. Dominick has this chameleon quality to him as he wears disguises and pretends to be other people in order to get what he wants. He has this scary confidence as a leader. He seems like the type of guy that is used to getting what he wants and that all changes over the course of one night.
Becky has some of the smoothest transitions to be seen in a film in quite some time. The opening sequence jumps back and forth between the school Becky goes to and the prison Dominick currently finds himself in. The sequence shifts from a fight in a school hallway to a brawl in a prison yard effortlessly. The film utilizes this technique in smaller instances throughout the rest of the film; usually when Becky and Dominick are communicating through walkie talkies while being in different locations. It’s this seamless comparison between the educational facility Becky finds herself in and the correctional facility Dominick is locked inside of.
The gore and special effects are kind of intriguing. Becky shies away from violence against innocents with gun wounds towards untainted creatures taking place off-screen. But the gore inflicted on a group of Neo-Nazis is totally unflinching and impressive. There is an extremely memorable and grotesque sequence with a dangling eyeball that has to be cut off with a kitchen knife, someone meeting their demise by basically drowning in a lake and eating a boat motor, and the cherry on top is the demonstration of a human head being gobbled up by a lawnmower. The effects look to be mostly practical with a touch of CGI for panache.
It always seems a bit odd when there are multiple screenwriters involved with the screenplay and the story of a film still turns out to be a convoluted mess. Becky has three writers credited and the film is still sloppy. The Becky character is the film’s biggest issue. You sympathize with her a bit when you find out she can’t get over her mother’s death, but her actions and her attitude seem so unrealistic the longer the film goes on. Some people probably feel some sort of anger after a loved one dies, but homicidal violence is a huge stretch.
It is never explained what the key is to in the film. It feels like Becky is aiming for this item of intrigue that drives the characters kind of like the briefcase in Pulp Fiction, but when all you have to go on is that it’s something that is, “best for all races,” it only comes off as a lame and half-cocked story device.
The Apex character is a curious one, as well. His sympathy towards women and children gives Robert Maillet the opportunity to steal the film from Kevin James and Lulu Wilson and he does on a few occasions. His speech about killing leaving stains on your soul is haunting and you begin to feel for the character. But if he’s felt this way for this long how did he become Dominick’s go-to guy? The two of them seem to have a history that is as thick as blood; they almost seem like family. Now when they’re on the verge of solidifying their brotherhood in the annals of history, he decides to have a conscience? It’s a difficult thing to swallow.
Since school supplies found around the house are incorporated into deadly weapons and the film mostly takes place out in the middle of the woods, Becky has this Home Alone meets I Spit on Your Grave (minus the raping) aspect to it. The film is worth seeing for its surprisingly solid gore and Kevin James taking such an extreme departure for what he’s normally known for.
The film has this underlying message of taking things that aren’t yours, moving on, letting go, and the difficulty of overcoming your past. Becky replaces grief with this revenge thriller tactic that doesn’t totally work, but it is at least thrilling and distracting for a short period of time.
