The Devil's Rejects (2005) - USA - Rated RDirected by Rob ZombieStars Sid Haig, William Forsythe, Leslie Easterbrook, Ken Foree, Bill Moseley, Michael Berryman
Competently directed Rob Zombie 'sympathy for killers' movie filled with slumming actors fails to connect on any level.
The Firefly family is on the run and on a killing spree after a vengeful sheriff puts the kabosh on their usual family activities. After having their home invaded, one of their own killed and the mother arrested, remaining members of the family hit the road to escape the police but can't help keeping up their murderous habits as they take people at a motel hostage and torture and eventually kill them. Meanwhile Sheriff Rydell has plans to destroy the family that killed his brother and won't give up.
Lacking in the style of Zombie's ealier House of a 1000 Corpses, The Devil's Rejects at the least delivers a better story with excellent performances by Forsythe and Easterbrook, but where it fails is in Zombie turning this into a 'sympathy for killers' story where we are suppose to connect with the family of murderers who apparently are the true champions of the story. The concept of celebrating society's human shit is nauseating.
My Rating: 2 Fingers. I feel that the production, directing and acting are 3 fingers or even a notch above that, but I cannot give any more than 2 fingers to a movie that sympathizes with lowlifes as those represented in this movie and vilifies the police trying to stop them.
Entertainment Magazine
