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★★★
Directed by: #TrevorRyan
Written by: #AllenOsborne
Starring: #RyanVincent #RoriFlynn #GayleGaston
ShortFilm Review by: #ChrisBuick
First things first. If you are looking for a truly cool name for your lead character, you could do much worse than Erik Boomslang. Top that off with the fact he is also a charming sociopathic serial killer, you might just be on to something.
But while the plot of Boomslang (“a dark comedy about a serial killer who visits a small American town and gets more than he bargained for.”) has all the hallmarks of a fun, tongue-in-cheek caper, the underlying problem is this short film instead seems like the first fifteen minutes of a much longer movie.
The film as it is, does have a lot going for it. It is certainly brimming with unique and colourful individuals, and the whole cast seems to be having a fantastic time playing with these ridiculous but quite enjoyable roles, no more so than Vincent as the eponymous lead, who really leans into both the suave and dangerous sides of Erik and is clearly having a blast doing so.
Each of the supporting players also manage to make their mark, every performance executed with the same high level of gusto as the next, which between that and some smart writing, manages to nicely round off each of these characters with their own wild personalities and eccentricities, making for some genuinely funny moments. But there are certain characters which while entertaining, never really have anything do with our lead or the plot at all except for a fleeting moment at the finale, which makes you think that any time with them would have been better spent exploring Erik’s story a bit more.
Despite that, most other aspects of the film also manage to hit a decent standard. The camera-work is never necessarily captivating but it is never sloppy either. Perhaps on occasion the film thinks its a bit smarter than it actually is when it comes to one or two lines of dialogue, while a handful of others seem a tad half-baked, but overall its pretty punchy and quick-witted. However while the conversations between the people of this wacky world are fun to watch, they do take up almost the entirety of the film, leaving no real room for any action or drama that could give the film a bit of a kick-start, which considering the film centres around a serial killer, seems like a bit of an oversight and again, everything that transpires in this short film acts like the setup for a more developed story that actually you could get behind, but sadly its all over too quickly.
Boomslang comes across almost like a proof of concept piece and when the credits roll, you will undoubtedly be asking yourself “where’s the rest?”. Director Trevor Ryan’s previous short Welcome to Willits: After Sundown was eventually expanded into a feature length piece, and it would be nice for Boomslang to get the same treatment for if it doesn't, it would be a shame as there seems to be enough potential here to create something quite enjoyable.
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