Never let it be said that Kevin Smith doesn't tackle real issues.
Like a serial killer who wants his old friend back, so he puts them in walrus suits and attempts to psychologically break them.
Combine that with an asshole who is already halfway there and you have TUSK.
With this in mind, let us go over this tale of how man reverts to beast.
Story/Dialogue: Wallace Bryton heads to a backwater town to interview a young man who cut off his own leg with a katana, only to find that the young man has died. With nothing to show for his podcast now, Wallace comes across an old man who has many a tale to tell. Turns out the old man is a serial killer with a bizarre fascination with walruses. As such, rather than simply killing his victims, he maims them and turns them into walruses.
There isn't anything overly fantastic about the dialogue. Thankfully, it wasn't convoluted or required an excessive amount of exposition. I also personally enjoyed some of the funny moments where the clerks made fun of Wallace because he was American or the Border Patrol guy explained to him the little known facts about Canadians. These lightened the mood and filled in spaces where most people would have asked, 'Why the hell is this scene in there?'
Cinematography: Visually, it felt as though Kevin Smith was channelling Bryan Fuller in terms of atmosphere. The colours were rich, yet not overwhelming and the lighting fit the atmosphere well. Not only for continuity's sake, but also for setting the scene.
Audio: Sometimes, silence says more in a scene than any sound ever could. By contrast, this made the audio stand out all the more. The wails of anguish were suitably horrifying and abrupt shifting in character of Howard Howe from pleasant old man to serial killer made it all the more thrilling.
Overall: This story made me question what goes on in the head of someone like Kevin Smith and at the same time applaud his divergent thinking. I can't think of anyone else that I know personally who would come up with something so bizarre. An interesting thriller with humour to ease the tension made this an enjoyable watch.
4.5 out of 5 stars.
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