I have to admit that A Cure For Wellness slipped right under my radar when it was first released earlier this year. Mainly because the movie didn’t do very well, and quickly slinked out of theaters due to the bad box office. When I discovered that it had been directed by Gore Verbinski, I didn’t want to see it because I wasn’t a big fan of the Pirates of the Caribbean films that he made (granted, the first Pirates film was an enjoyable piece of fluff, but its countless sequels are a real slog to get through). But I was reminded that Verbinski also directed The Lone Ranger reboot, which I really liked (and I’m probably one of five people who do so), and he also helmed the superb remake of The Ring, starring Naomi Watts and a really scary videotape.
A Cure For Wellness recalls The Ring in that it’s a horror movie with a burning mystery at its center. Verbinski pulls you in slowly, showing an office worker keeling over from a heart attack while working late one night. It turns out that this deceased fellow was Morris, a close confidante to Pembroke, the owner and CEO of a financial company that is just about to undergo a merger that will make everybody rich. But there are problems with the Wall Street watchdog group, the SEC, which might derail this merger (not to mention also put everybody in jail). With Morris dead, Lockhart (Dane DeHaan), an up and coming executive with the company, is chosen to bring Pembroke back from his stay at a health spa in Switzerland so Pembroke can be framed for the ruckus.
DeHaan is one of these interesting actors who shines very well here. His Lockhart is a cold-hearted bastard, a businessman with a ’kill-or-be-killed’ attitude who normally wouldn’t care about Pembroke--but he’s forced into looking for him at a reclusive spa because Lockhart has been threatened with being thrown to the wolves by the even more heartless board members. Once he arrives at the spa, which is run by the always good Jason Issacs as the enigmatic Volmer, A Cure For Wellness starts to recall the best of Dario Argento’s work as Lockhart discovers there’s something very strange about this place.
Much like how Argento’s protagonists are always risking their lives to solve a mystery, Cure also has stark cinematography that evokes Argento--as well as a haunting, child-like theme (“la-la-la”) that really makes this film feel like it was directed by the Italian master of Giallo films. Mia Goth sings the song, as well as plays Hannah, a waif-like resident of the spa who’s a big part of the mystery. Verbinski has outdone himself in delivering a strange, chilling horror movie that has creepy atmosphere to spare. I can see why it failed at the box office--it’s unflinching in its gory scenes; it's rated 'R' for good reason, and the film may be difficult to follow if you don’t give it your full attention--but horror fans should enjoy this truly original film that provides a fresh change of pace from the usual slasher flicks. --SF
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