Pig (2021)
Directed by Michael Sarnoski
A truffle hunter who lives alone in the Oregon wilderness must visit Portland to find the mysterious person who stole his beloved foraging pig.
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6 films that influenced Pig
What critics say influenced Pig
Pig ’s premise—widely compared, after the release of its trailer, to that of John Wick (which saw Keanu Reeves wipe out a group of Russian gangsters in retaliation for killing his pet puppy)—and the casting of Cage suggest a gonzo action flick.
This kind of setup may remind you of revenge thrillers along the likes of John Wick or Cage’s own Mandy , and while Pig does certainly contain similar elements to them (right down to how the hero’s sorrow is what breeds their resolve) and the trailer may sell it that way, the film instead shows that it’s much more interested in quieter, pensive moments and philosophical musings.
If you go into this movie expecting something like “John Wick” crossed with “Gunda,” prepare to have your expectations upended as “Pig” is a melancholy, almost spiritual, meditation on what makes life worth living.
It’s at this point in the film where you expect Pig to take the expected turn of being a John Wick rip-off, and Cage to unleash havoc all over the individuals responsible for stealing his pig.
On paper, it reads like a gonzo knockoff of Keanu Reeves’ John Wick movies in which a hitman also comes out of exile to avenge a murdered dog.
Yes, the above description does make the film sound like it is essentially a porcine-based variation of “John Wick” with Cage stepping into Keanu Reeves’s shoes as a man who returns to his formerly violent tendencies in order to get revenge on the people who inflicted cruelty upon his beloved pet.
Director/co-writer Michael Sarnoski’s “Pig” is a brutal, elegant, mournful, captivating and magnificently filmed story that somehow manages to mix in elements of wilderness films such as “Jeremiah Johnson” and “Into the Wild,” kitchen-centric cooking movies like “Burnt” and there’s even a scene straight out of “Fight Club” — not to mention more than one reference to Greek tragedies.
There’s also some Fight Club (1999) in there.
This is demonstrated both visually and dramatically as Robin leaves the quiet, meditative forest for the city, encountering overblown fine dining establishments and an underground chef culture where busboys and servers take out their frustrations Fight Club style.
From there, Pig takes an insane turn into something between a foodie Fight Club meets Taken.
I immediately recalled Mel Gibson's over-the-top turn in 1996's "Ransom," particularly the line reading that launched 1,000 memes: "Give me back my son!"
The straight-faced use of film noir tropes in an unlikely setting recalls Rian Johnson’s Brick , and if this movie isn’t as brilliant as that, well, what is?
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Arkin’s work here reminds me of Albert Brooks’ excellent performance against type in Nicolas Winding Refn’s “Drive.”
Don’t believe me, look at his work in Adaptation , Moonstruck , Raising Arizona , Matchstick Men , Joe , his Oscar-winning performances in Leaving Las Vegas , and countless other projects that prove he isn’t a joke.
He has done it in Oscar-winners ( Moonstruck , Leaving Las Vegas ), blockbusters ( The Rock, Face/Off ), and gnarly little genre flicks ( Mandy, Color Out of Space) , proving that his grand, expressionist acting style isn’t just a choice to suit a particular role.
Occasionally, something will bring out the memorably manic edge (Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, Mandy ) that characterized his 1987 breakout roles: Ronny in Moonstruck, H.I. in Raising Arizona.
His naturally breathless ardor made him the perfect romantic lead for a certain sort of swoony, overheated romance, and to look back at “Moonstruck,” “Wild At Heart” or “Peggy Sue Got Married” is to witness a totally gonzo devotion ill-suited for our age of self-protective irony.