The Movie:

It's a shame that the success of the Hostel and Saw films inspired some marketing genius at Lionsgate to promote William Friedkin's adaptation of the Off-Broadway play Bug as an 'extreme' horror film - because it's not. While there are a couple of grisly moments in the picture, this is an exercise in cinematic claustrophobia and paranoia, not a gore picture or a slasher film. If the recurring theme in Friedkin's work is how circumstance can change a person, Bug fits right in with the rest of his work but on many other levels, he's treading new ground with this film and, quite frankly, he does a damn good job with it.

The story follows Agnes White (Ashley Judd), a waitress at a lesbian bar out in rural Oklahoma. Agnes has seen better days, and is currently living in a dumpy little motel room at the side of the highway. She also has a taste for drugs and alcohol. One night her friend, R. C. (Lynn Collins), shows up with a strange, quirky man named Peter Evans (Michael Shannon). The three of them are to go to a party but something comes up and R. C. has to leave. Peter spends the night at Agnes' place and the next morning goes to get some food. While he's out, Agnes wakes up and is surprised to find a man in the shower - a man who isn't Peter. It turns out that her abusive ex-husband, Jerry (Harry Connick Jr.), has been let out of jail and that he's back to rekindle their relationship whether she likes it or not. Jerry leaves, telling Agnes that he's got to take care of some business, but he makes a point of saying that he'll be back. Soon, Agnes and Peter begin a romance but when Peter finds a bug in the bed, a tiny aphid which Agnes can't see, things start to get strange.

The more time Agnes and Peter spend together, the more prominent the bug issue seems to become, the only problem is that no one else can see them. Soon, the two deduce that Agnes' room is completely infested. As they deal with the problem Peter begins to tell Agnes what he believes to be the truth about his past and how it relates to their current situation. And then there's his recurring toothache...

Bug starts off as more of a character drama than anything resembling a horror film. We learn about Agnes' past, her issues with her ex-husband, the details surrounding the mystery of their child and about her lifestyle in general. From there, we learn through Agnes' conversations with Peter about his background and about some of his more unusual character traits. It's only once the characters are established that Friedkin lets things get strange. While neither Peter nor Agnes are saints, we get to know them enough that even if we don't necessarily like them, we're at least able to feel for them and we certainly know enough about them that they matter to us for the hour and forty minutes for which the film runs.

Working off of a screenplay written by Tracy Letts (who based it on his own play), the film is shot very much like a stage production. The vast majority of the film takes place in the hotel room with only Agnes and Peter on screen and as such, the film has an extremely tight, claustrophobic feel that perfectly captures the increasing mania that the central characters are experiencing. As the films gets stranger, the cinematography works in such a way that it intensifies this feeling resulting in a final twenty-minutes that are memorable as much for what they don't explain to us as much as for how they wrap things up. You won't likely see this ending coming and the film doesn't present all the answers to the audience, instead it gives us just enough to come up with our own interpretation of how much is real versus how much is happening in the lead character's heads. The film doesn't end, so much as it just stops but it is certainly a unique and appropriate way to conclude the story.

Aside from the pacing, the character development, the twists and the cinematography, the film also really benefits from two fantastic performances. While Ashley Judd comes dangerously close to going over the top during the finale, she never quite goes there and for the bulk of the film she does very well as the sympathetic downtrodden lead. We can believe that Agnes is, quit simply, a very broken woman and this is important in setting up her relationship with Peter. It also plays a key role in why things turn out the way they do, her absolute need for a resolution to the mystery of what happened to her son hanging so heavily over her head that she'll accept any answer, no matter how insane it may sound. The real star of the show, however, is Michael Shannon. As Peter he's quiet for much of the film but is always completely in character and he is simply perfect for the part. He looks like you'd expect someone in this situation to look, somewhat distant and aloof, and his performance is nothing short of amazing. Solid supporting work from Harry Connick Jr. (who is quite menacing here) and Lynn Collins flesh out the cast quite well.

Those expecting a film about man-eating insects will certainly be thrown for a loop with Friedkin's film but fans of psychological horror who don't necessarily need everything spelled out for them should find much food for thought here in this creepy, slick and well acted thriller.

Video:

Lionsgate gives Bug a good 1.78.1 anamorphic widescreen transfer that does a good job with color reproduction but which exhibits a bit of digital noise in some of the darker scenes, particularly in the later part of the film where the tin foil comes into play. Grain is present but never overpowering and there aren't any problems with mpeg compression artifacts though some slight edge enhancement pops up here and there. Black levels look pretty solid and detail is strong throughout. Flesh tones look lifelike and natural and for the most part the movie looks quite good on this DVD.