Brief Thoughts - THE STEPFATHER (2009)

Caught up with the remake of THE STEPFATHER (2009) and found it to be pretty good. As with most remakes it's nowhere near the quality of the original film but it's far from bad. In fact, I can easily imagine someone unaware of the 1987 film thinking this 21st century version is a really sharp thriller. And it is. But everything it does was done better the first time around.

The main point of interest for me was to see if this new take on the story would add any twists or if the crucial central performance would measure up. In the original Terry O'Quinn plays the role with an effortless confidence that holds the viewer in amazement at the control he shows. His acting is so nuanced and carefully crafted that it is nearly invisible. He manages the tough balancing act of being scary but also charming with only the slightest hint of darkness peaking out around the edges. From the opening scenes we see he is a merciless killer capable of even child murder but he is able to present an incredibly normal facade to the world. His madness leaks out around the eyes, sometimes giving him the look of an early stage rabid animal plotting it's next move even as circumstances drive it to attack.

In this remake the title character is played by Dylan Walsh and he is just fine. He does a good job but he can't erase the memory of the stronger performance from 1987. Walsh brings real intensity to what he's doing but the darkness seems more transparently on display too soon in the story. Once again, this is a pretty good film but the first version is better.