Netflix Dark Comedy Thriller Turns Fan-Favorite Office Star Into A Criminal
He may be on the cusp of releasing a final film and retiring from cinema, but Quentin Tarantino’s influence continues to be felt all throughout Hollywood. For example, his hit film Pulp Fiction helped entire generations of filmmakers learn how much more exciting their movies could be when they weren’t tied down by traditional chronological order. That Tarantino tradition is alive and well with Shimmer Lake, a neo-noir starring Dwight Schrute actor Rainn Wilson that effectively tells its story backward.
Shimmer Lake
Just what is Shimmer Lake really about? Without spoiling too much of this crazy film, the core narrative focuses on a sheriff trying to figure out exactly how a bank heist went so wrong.
The movie unfolds backward, showing us what happened in the days leading to the heist and its aftermath, an innovative format that allows us to follow along with the sheriff and try to figure out exactly what happened with this topsy-turvy mystery.
The Cast
With Shimmer Lake, the casting is nearly as interesting as the narrative itself. Rainn Wilson, who became a household name thanks to The Office, plays one of the criminals in the film, and his fellow bad guys are played by Mark Rendall (who starred in the excellent Hannibal series on NBC) and Wyatt Russell (best known to Marvel fans for playing U.S. Agent in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier).
Meanwhile, the sheriff trying to unravel this bloody mystery is played by Benjamin Walker, someone who played the title character in the trashy-but-fun film Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.
Oren Uziel
For all the major stars in front of the camera, Shimmer Lake mostly succeeds thanks to the talents of its director. The film is both written and directed by Oren Uziel, a Hollywood writer who was mostly known at the time for writing the hilarious sequel 22 Jump Street.
Shimmer Lake represents Uziel’s directorial debut, and while the film isn’t perfect (more on this soon), its sleek style and confidence instantly made us want more films from this unassuming director.
Critical Reception
Shimmer Lake was distributed on Netflix, meaning that it didn’t have the chance to impress audiences at the box office. As for critics, they remain divided on this unconventional film: on Rotten Tomatoes, the movie currently has a critical rating of 60 percent, making it (very barely) a “fresh” film.
Stream It Now
Some critics were hard on the performance of Rainn Wilson and others, noting that comedy performers are often out of place in a drama.
Other critics lauded the film for its innovative storytelling, something that adds innovation and excitement to what might otherwise be a very rote pulp narrative. And, of course, the film’s experimentation of chronological order invited several comparisons to Tarantino.
Are you going to think that Uziel is the next Tarantino, or will you agree with the critics who think these comedians should stick with comedy? The only way to find out is to stream Shimmer Lake on Netflix today.
Love it or hate it, we can all agree on one thing by the time it’s over: if Dwight had acted like this in The Office, Jim would have thought twice before doing all those crazy pranks.
