10 Best Films of 2007: #9 - Bug
Much needs to be said about Ashley Judd’s performance in Bug, and very little needs to be said about the story. Judd takes this movie over and creates a character whose paranoia feels like a freight train bearing down on the viewer. But why is she so paranoid? It is in the earlier scenes where we see a sad and desperate, once (probably) beautiful woman now turned white trash bar hopper and druggie grasp for anything resembling a decent man. Then the she meets that man and the story takes off. But it is because of Judd and her amazing performance that we care so much about what happens to her from the onset. It is a performance that is likely already forgotten by many, but a reminder that when Ashley Judd commits to making films that aren’t about woman getting revenge, she can be a pretty good actress.
It is an ingenious little plot that keeps the audience on the edge of its seat the entire film, waiting for the big payoff, waiting for the big bad gory moment. The pay off is something that disappointed many, but left me feeling like I had just seen one of the great horror films of this heavily stylized, MTV produced, post 9/11 era of horror films. It also shows that William Friedkin is still capable of making a good movie.
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