Stream it:
|
Own it:
|
With: Lulu Wilson, Seann William Scott, Denise Burse, Jill Larson, Courtney Gains, Michael Sirow, Aaron Dalla Villa, Matt Angel, Kate Siegel
|
Written by: Matt Angel, based on a story by Suzanne Coote, Matt Angel
|
Directed by: Matt Angel, Suzanne Coote
|
MPAA Rating: R for strong bloody violence and gore, pervasive language and some sexual references
|
Running Time: 84
|
|
Date: 05/26/2023
|
|
|
|
The Wrath of Becky (2023)
Double Crossbow
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
This unlikely sequel to the uneven thriller Becky (2020) takes a firmer hold of its tone, gleefully embracing gore and dark humor, as well as offering a slightly older and less tragic main character.
Becky (Lulu Wilson) and her dog Diego have been living off the grid since the events of the previous movie, but now she has found a measure of peace as the housemate of elderly Elena (Denise Burse).
Working in a diner, she encounters three "Noble Men" — Anthony (Michael Sirow), DJ (Aaron Dalla Villa), and Sean (Matt Angel) — members of a radical organization of white supremacists. When they hassle her, she dumps coffee on one man's lap. They retaliate by shooting Elena and kidnapping Diego.
Becky tracks them to their hideout, where the group's leader, Daryl (Seann William Scott), and his right-hand man Twig (Courtney Gains) prepare for an important rally, during which they plan to assassinate a local senator. Becky decides that they all need to die.
The Wrath of Becky — now in the hands of writers and directors Matt Angel and Suzanne Coote — is frankly less cruel than its predecessor, in which the 13-year-old Becky faced horrors that seemed a bit too much. Now Becky (Lulu Wilson) is sixteen and has become a survivor, a warrior who calls her own shots. We have more confidence in her.
It also helps that, as in the first movie, the villains are oh-so-timely white supremacists, who sing racist songs (accompanied by banjo) and wear shirts with slogans like "My Pronoun is 'Patriot.'" Becky shrugs and decides that, even though the world has gone crazy, and there's not much she can do to change it, that she can at least do it a little favor.
Angel and Coote's dialogue is sharp and funny, and they cook up several surprise situations, running through it all with expert pacing. The opening shot — a goofy lawn sprinkler wiggling to the tune of Carl Orff's "Gassenhauer" — to the final shot — involving a rocket launcher — seem flawlessly chosen. The Wrath of Becky may not be very deep, but it comes together with a deeply satisfying snap.
|
