Directed by: Jordan Peele

Starring: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Bradley Whitford, Catherine Keener.

There's a certain kind of super smart brilliance to comedian Jordan Peele's directional debut. And it is a mighty one at that. You've probably seen this film advertised everywhere, and you should know by that default that this film is a 'horror film about racism.' That's true, but I didn't see it like that. For me, it's a thriller with a mix of comedy but with some horror tropes. I'd say that it's a thriller about racism. Or is it? That's just one of the intriguing factors about what makes 'Get Out' so good.

The film tells the story of Chris (Kaluuya) an African American photographer who goes to stay with his white girlfriend at her parents home in the country. What transpires is a question of racial supremacy and the ideas of isolation and terror as part of this. Chris is thrown into a living hell as he tries to survive the weekend in a terrifying white suburb. Without spoiling too much, this film is a colossal mind game, and that's good.

When I make and write films I often like to make them ambiguous. So I definitely loved the ambiguity this film had to offer, and how Peele wrote and crafted the narrative and ideas portrayed. It's massively questionable and that's something that I will delve into with my upcoming analysis of this film. But what's really to desire here is the performance from Kaluuya, who really makes you feel for him, no matter what race you are. His singularity and isolated presence in the film is really something to marvel at.

Peele's expert writing and filmmaking are without a doubt excellent but the film isn't scary for it to be classed as a horror, the premise may be arguably daunting but this one is more for thrills. Especially when you make it into the third act, and fear you may have had may alter as the plot goes on - this isn't bad as the narrative is still as strong as ever in the third act but it does get silly in some places, and not horrific at all.

In hand with Peele's comedic notoriety, there are plenty of laughs in the film and they were - most of the time anyway. It can feel weird from going to a thriller and then warping to comedy just like that. But it unbelievably works here, and there is only Peele to thank for that. Lil Rel Howery, who plays Chris' friend Rod - is without a doubt the comic relief in the film, and whilst his scenes may take place away from the main action, it does play nicely and he is funny. He takes some of the depressing moments away the film offers and is handled well.

There are parts where the film drags, however thinking on that now, it's fine like that. Because of the well written development for the characters the dragging needs to be there, and at least I wasn't bored by these characters, so I was engaged. Besides, as soon as you get to the hypnosis scene, you know you came to the right film that was marketed at you.

So would I recommend this? Absolutely. 'Get Out' is up there with 'A Monster Calls' as one of the smartest movies so far this year. I have to say that if you're looking for jump scares and lots of frights, this isn't the film for you, but I still implore you to see it. I'll go into more detail with by upcoming analysis that I'll try to get out either this week or next, so keep your eyes peeled for that. In conclusion, Peele has demonstrated that he's a competent writer and director and I'm looking forward to see what he comes up with next time, whatever it may be.

8/10