Arts comes in many forms. Cinema being one of them, filmmakers are often able to depict art and its process within its very own representation. In doing so, there are frequently many attempts at dissecting expression and its criticisms. Written and directed by Dan Gilroy and starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Velvet Buzzsaw is a new release that tries to offer its own unique look into the physical art world. While it does start out quite promising, this is a film that unfortunately devolves into an utter mess. 

Velvet Buzzsaw takes place in the heated American art world and follows the interactions of the individuals entrenched in its scene. Jake Gyllenhaal plays Morf Vandewalt, an established art critic that is forced to face a vengeful supernatural power after his friend and agent Josephina (played by Zawe Ashton) discovers the works of a recently diseased artist. The cast is an ensemble that includes Rene Russo as art gallery owner Rhodora Haze and Toni Collette who depicts an art curator named Gretchen.

This is a movie that starts quite positively. Witnessing the pseudo-parody of modern art culture is a delight to watch and it is here that the film is at its strongest. Playing initially as a comedy of sorts, the over the top performances and behaviors of our main cast are often very funny. Gyllenhaal shines in his incredibly campy role, as do most of the actors alongside him. It is this foundation that make the opening sequences of the picture rather enjoyable. The tongue in cheek approach works fairly well as we look forward to the introduction of the films main plot. Regrettably, the promising first act crumbles under the mess that Velvet Buzzsaw becomes.

With almost no consistency with regards to pacing and tone, the movie shifts into a Final Destination-esque slasher that attempts to act as another layer regarding the misuse of art. It enters the world of fantasy in a way that only detracts from everything before it. These sequences are jarringly ineffective on a number of levels. Not only are their surface level metaphors laughable (and not in a good way) but its attempt at horror contains zero suspense and are simply boring. The deaths that happen are toothless and dull, implementing very little creativity at all. Bizarrely, it becomes deadly serious during these scenes, with none of the humour that makes the early developments so entertaining. If there was any degree of self-awareness here, this may have worked as a black comedy. However, this is completely absent as we are left with a significant portion of the film that only drags the rest of it down.

With art as the major theme, one would think that there would at least be some interesting visuals but its cinematography, much like the other technical aspects, is as bland as it comes. If there ever was a time that the phrase “a Netflix movie” should be used as a critique, this is it. With a budget of $21 Million, one can only think that this money went to the cast as there is no indication of it onscreen. It looks and sounds like a paint-by-numbers television show, only compounding on top of the negatives mentioned above.

Velvet Buzzsaw is a deeply disappointing release. With talent of a seemingly high standard behind it, there was hopes that this could be another Nightcrawler. Even with its fun performances and promising first act, it quickly becomes an inconsistent and infuriating experience. While there is a rather good Jake Gyllenhaal performance to be seen here, this is a film that is just not worth your time.