Fantastic Fest XX Review: In BODY BLOW, A Provocative, Propulsive Bruiser Of A Crime Flick
I was today years old – as of drafting this post – when I realized that Tim Pocock, the actor who played a young version of “Cyclops” in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, is the same actor now back on my radar ahead of the 20th edition of Fantastic Fest. For this, we turn to Body Blow, the latest work from Dean Francis, the Aussie award-winning director of 2015’s Drown, and starring Pocock in a role clearly targeted to Fincher and Friedkin fans alike.
Francis directs from his own script a crime thriller that chronicles the stoic journey of Aiden (Pocock), a disgraced cop struggling with his own sexuality, or “addiction” as he deems it. As much as he loves his job, it doesn’t necessarily help that he’s newly inducted into an undercover mission treading Sydney’s gay nightlife and S&M scene where he crosses paths with sexy bartender and junkie, Cody (Tom Rodgers), ensuing a hot quickie in an alley whereupon Aiden’s gun accidentally goes off.
Indeed, no fatalities occur here, but it’s enough to get Aiden in plenty of hot water when he’s roped into the criminal machinations of Cody’s employer, local drag star and crime boss, “Fat Frankie” (Paul Capsis), and resigned to collecting on his behalf in exchange for his anonymity, with Cody along for the ride. What follows is a dark, introspective journey of harrowing self-discovery for Aiden, whose own stoic journey of self-repression forces him to confront his love for Cody, amid an unraveling web of dirty cops in their wake, and the shared secrets Aiden’s own colleagues would otherwise kill to protect.
Considering how awfully fascistic times have become of late – particularly in the U.S., Body Blow is a movie ripe for the occasion, especially at a time when male toxicity and manospherical ideology continue to proliferate core conversations on equity and inclusion. Pocock conveys perfectly the “tough guy” veneer that reciprocates accordingly for a film that explores manhood, internal conflict and power dynamics.
Par for the course is film’s focus on the psychological breakdown of our protagonist in Aiden, fixated on his twisted sense of “betterment” so much so that in addition to wearing a wrist brace to avoid masturbating, he goes the extra mile and buys a cock cage and buries the key beneath his chicken coop. Co-star Rodgers lights up the screen as Cody, putting his own spin on the femme fatale, and whose involvement with Aiden paves the way for plenty of backstory to unfold as the film progresses.
There’s a moral paradigm between Aiden and Cody which serves as only one piece of the puzzle, as the film’s larger plot percolates and comes to a boil bearing other characters in mind; Adding to the increasing myriad of intrigue is Aiden’s senior, Steele (Sacha Horler) whose reception to her latest prospect is nothing short of fraternal for the most part. Getting a word in edgewise is her father, Sampson (Chris Haywood), who somehow manages to help Aiden out of a precarious situation early on in the film, which further sets up the film’s larger series of layered events.
Francis goes all-in in his inviolable execution of neon-lit crime noir aesthetics, with a movie drenched in colors and contours, and plentiful in its sultry, sexual imagery and innuendo. Violence and gore don’t go too hard though, save for at least one scene where Aiden is attacked and ends up taking a power drill to his would-be killer’s head, resulting in a blood geyser the likes of which would appeal to just about any fan of horror or gritty indie thrillers.
Brimming with sex, lust and danger, Body Blow takes you on a journey of necessity, unfolding a compelling cop procedural through an intoxicating queer lens. It’s an unabashedly gay, scintillating, and full-tilt cerebral cop thriller with terrific performances, a solid script, a compelling love story that will appeal to even the most jaded romantic like yours truly, and exciting direction that dares you keep watching.
