Retro Film Review: Bug (2006)

In the 1970s, William Friedkin was one of the giants of New Hollywood, but in subsequent years, he did little to maintain such a lofty reputation. On the contrary, this reputation suffered because of the “politically incorrect” portrayal of the New York pre-AIDS gay scene in Cruising, and, with the notable exception of To Live and Die in L.A., most of his later works were disappointments. In 2006, his career had something of a minor bounce back with the unusual film titled Bug.

The film is based on a play by Tracy Letts. The plot begins in a motel in rural Oklahoma where Agnes White (played by Ashley Judd), a waitress at a lesbian bar, lives. Agnes is disturbed by mysterious phone calls and is convinced that her violent ex-husband, Jerry Goss (played by Harry Connick Jr.), who has just been released from prison, is behind it all. Agnes's friend introduces her to a shy yet charming drifter, Peter Evans (played by Michael Shannon), whom she offers temporary accommodation and eventually a place in her bed. However, it turns out that Peter has a terrible fear of bugs, which he explains with a horrifying secret related to his involvement in the First Gulf War.

Lionsgate marketed Bug as a horror film, but viewers received something entirely different. Critics, accustomed to Friedkin's misfires in genre films, were mostly pleasantly surprised that he had decided to try his hand at “pure” psychological drama for a change. However, while Friedkin does a more or less solid job, more seasoned viewers could quickly realise that this is nothing more than an adaptation of a stage play and that the director doesn’t make much effort to hide it. On the other hand, Bug boasts an excellent cast, primarily Ashley Judd, who has never had such a demanding role in her career, requiring her character to literally and metaphorically undress before the cameras.

However, it remains to be seen how much understanding viewers—at least those “hyped up” on Lionsgate horror—will have for this, especially when it becomes clear that the monsters suggested by the title are far more prosaic and closer to everyday life than those in genre films. The melodramatic, forced, and predictable ending also detracts from what could have been a full rehabilitation of Friedkin after many years.

RATING: 5/10 (++)

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