Pig

Comparisons to 'John Wick (2014)' are both apt and, perhaps, misleading; in many ways, 'Pig (2021)' is the antithesis of the revenge thriller. It isn't about vengeance, it's about love, loss, grief and gourmet cooking. In fact, the protagonist comes face to face with the people who whack him in the head and steal his pig in the movie's opening movement surprisingly early on, showing no desire to hurt them and instead being wholly focused on recovering his lost pet. It's generally a quiet, contemplative and purposefully counter-intuitive affair that subverts almost every expectation that comes with its set-up and the fact that it stars Nic Cage. Cage is remarkably restrained here, delivering a heavy yet nuanced performance that's actually rather affecting. Some of his conversations hit surprisingly hard, even if some of them are rather difficult to hear (the dialogue is oddly quiet and muffled at times). On top of its more straightforward narrative, the film has plenty to say about commerce vs creativity, compromised dreams, self-imposed isolation, gentrification, monopolisation, regret, companionship and the necessity of being able to 'move on'. It's purposefully unsatisfying, which is actually oddly satisfying if you think about it. It's relatively realistic yet still retains its own sense of low-key style. It's also really sad overall. It isn't consistently gripping, but it's always interesting and generally entertaining, too. It's an accomplished piece of work. 7/10.