Rattlesnakes is a 2019 thriller about a man whose day takes a turn for the worst when he is held hostage and accused by three vengeful husbands of sleeping with their wives.
The pace at which director Julius Amedume begins his latest effort at is almost agonizingly unprogressive, the first thirty minutes a sort of washed out dreamscape of set up that will test even the most patient viewer. However, when it does rather jarringly switch gears, it ratchets up the interest as well, the mystery at its heart curious enough to sink in its tiny hooks with a well-written back half that gives the thing some significant legs.
Robert McQueen (Jimmy Jean-Louis) is a family man with a wife (Robinne Lee) and young daughter (Kyra Jean-Louis). He works as a yoga therapist, helping women, he claims, with revealing and letting go of their emotional pain. But how does he do it? Well, according to husbands Ritche Hansen (Jack Coleman), Jamie Jarret (Jay Acovone), and Jed Ellis (Christian Oliver), he does it by having sex with them. Seeking revenge, they kidnap Robert with plans to scare him into confession, but things are not exactly as they seem and soon enough, there’s a game afoot where the truth is the most dangerous weapon.
Based on the play by Graham Farrow, Rattlesnakes is one of those movies that feels like you know where it’s going based on where it starts but quickly veers to the hard left, leaving you not a little out of breath. While it might begin with a purposeful lethargy, that all changes quickly and if you’re not prepared, well, topples the cart. The wives, including Ester Jarrett (Rya Kihlstedt) and Lizzy Hansen (Kathleen McClellan) are mostly left to an important peripheral though Lizzy gets a bigger part as another twist comes along that throws more questions onto the heap, leaving us to wonder just what is reality and what is not.
Filmed almost entirely on one set, the film does capture a stage play feel, even as it ventures out into the streets a few times to gather more pieces of the puzzle. However, this isn’t a movie where you need to be searching the background for clues, or rewatch it in hopes of figuring out something you missed. It’s not that kind of show. Everything is delivered in clear black and white as it goes, leaving you to make assumptions about what is coming. But will you guess right?
Ultimately, a few things sort of make knowing its end kind of easy to predict – or at least one jagged corner of it – the title of the whole thing the biggest giveaway. Still, getting there is not without some entertainment, a few raw moments packed with well-earned stress. The cast is game and deliver with gusto while Amedume finds his footing once the story gains momentum.
In nature, the rattlesnake tricks its victims with distraction and in some ways, so too does this film, keeping you guessing just enough so that when the strike does come, it doesn’t miss. A decent little thriller that merits a look, especially for fans of independent thrillers.