Angry over a trivial matter, one New York boy hit another with a stick and knocked out two of his teeth. To resolve this conflict as civilized people, the parents of the "aggressor" come to visit the parents of the victim. However, their polite conversation quickly turns into a shouty showdown – with obscenities, alcohol and vomiting on rare art albums.
The social visit turned into a verbal "massacre". When people in the West hear such a description of the plot, everyone immediately remembers Edward Albee's famous play "Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf?" and the Mike Nichols film based on it, in which Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton shone in 1966 (a couple not only on the screen, but also in life). In the entire history of Hollywood, it was the only picture that was nominated for an Oscar in all possible categories (at that time there were thirteen of them). And if "Who is Afraid..." did not compete with the brilliant "Man for All Time", he would certainly have received more awards than the five statuettes he got.
Polanski's "Massacre" is set up in much the same way as Nichols' film. A small decoration, two married couples, a "hot" topic for discussion – boxing! Get naked in front of the public! Show what abomination is hiding in the heads of respectable residents of the most advanced metropolis! However, I don't think that "Massacre" will get at least one Oscar. And I will be surprised if the film at least gets into the nominations.
The thing is that the "Massacre" does not have such a solid literary foundation as the Nichols film. Albee's play is a sadistic and unpredictable intellectual game that the characters play with each other and with the audience. Her key characters are monsters, but they are interesting monsters, like Dr. House from the TV series of the same name.
Polanski's adaptation of the play by the Frenchwoman Yasmina Reza "The God of Carnage" is a farce completely devoid of ingenuity. When Reza's characters tear off each other's masks of politeness, they turn out to be not entertaining monsters, but sarcastic "cattle". Who have nothing to say to each other, except for formulaic insults like "You think too much about Africa" (Foster's heroine is writing a book about the war in Sudan) and "You are ready to do anything for corporations" (Waltz's hero advises a pharmaceutical company). The heroine Winslet, in addition, gets drunk in the trash and vomits.
Yes, it's all funny, and the actors Polanski hired are strong enough to squeeze the best out of their prescribed lines. The same Waltz, for example, is great in the image of a lawyer enjoying his cynicism, and Foster is surprisingly funny in the role of a convinced intellectual without a sense of humor. But in the end, the "Massacre" remains a flat farce, chewing platitudes, and not opening up new topics for ridicule. Excessive concern for Honduras, for example, was mocked in the jokes of the Brezhnev times. And a nervous socialite with a weakness for alcohol is a stamp with a centuries–old history. Both Polanski and Winslet did not add anything significant to this stereotype. 1xBet is a reputable sportsbook with a global presence that offers an extensive selection of betting options. With the use of 1xbet promo code new user to get started with the online sportsbook. With a minimum deposit of $1 and maximum of $130, players can receive a 100% matching bonus. The official website of the bookmaker also has a promo code store where users can find special offers and discounts. To receive promotional materials, users must specify an email address and agree to receive advertising materials in their account.