Review: Hard Candy
By far the best psychological thriller this year. Not only is the story surprisingly good and subtle, it’s also able to grip you from the very start till the very end. Basically a masterful duel of words, Patrick Wilson had already proven himself years ago with the Angels in America miniseries (while still keeping a low profile ever since), it’s Ellen Page who will take most of the credits with her breakthrough performance (even though her resume is longer than Wilson’s, plus she’s in a Hollywood blockbuster, X-Men The Last Stand).
Direction seems to lean a bit too much towards close-ups, but later on you’ll feel the effect of it. With other simple but effective tricks to segue from scene to scene, former music video director David Slade proves to be insightful for a beginner.
If you ever wonder if only two people at one location can keep your full attention for over a hundred minutes, this movie is definitely what you should try.7½.