I’ve seen some of Thomas Lorber’s stunt work of the past decade. Surprisingly, though, I’m only just catching onto his directorial work. He’s directed a handful of shortfilm projects up until now which I haven’t yet seen, so his latest, Legend Has It, marks a first for me as a critic.
Screenwriters Ramesh Santanam and Frank Tremblay set the stage accordingly for an off-beat romp that segues from a botched gangland interrogation by crimeboss Henri-George (Tom Morton). In a push to extract information, he summons an underworld enforcer to help get the job done – this, on the same night when a Party Stripper named Adam (Jon Cor) gets called up for what he and girlfriend Maya (Dianne Aguilar) hope will be his last gig. What follows is a case of mistaken identity that explodes into a walloping dance-fight for survival as Adam, clearly believing he’s there to entertain, acclaimates aptly to the rough antics of Henri and his goons.
Immediately from the moment Legend Has It starts, you’re given the impression of a story with an antagonist who bears a John Wick-type of threat level. The movie does a fair job of even leaving the viewer guessing quite a bit on “what,” “why,” and “who,” playing purely on its strengths and not taking itself too seriously.
At a duration of a little over twenty minutes, the second half of this shortfilm pushes the envelope firmly, with smartly-crafted choreography that blends sheer comedy with mild brutality, and it’s not long before Cor pulls out all the stops. At one point our protagonist is grappling two henchmen including one guy with his head between his ankles. One poor sucker gets a fistful of whipped cream to the face, and at several moments our hero whips out a sick dildo to even the odds, but the fun doesn’t end there.
Credit to Alex Chung and Dylan Rampulla for handling the stunts and action on this project as well, and to Cor who brings apt physicality, brilliance and charm to the titular character. To this, it’s not often that a director like Lorber aims for the kind of first impression he’ll be leaving on anyone getting eyes on his work for the first time, in which case, get ready for some of the wildest shit you’ll ever see in this medium. Indeed, if you’re into R-rated action and storytelling with a tongue-in-cheek vision that pushes the envelope, then Lorber’s latest should scratch the itch.
This review of Legend Has It was written from a full 22-minute screening. A slightly shorter festival version will have its day at the 29th edition of Dances With Films in New York City on January 16th at 9:15pm. Visit the official website for more info!