The Expressionist is a 2012 American Psychological Psychadelic Thriller film written and directed by Darren Aronofsky starring Andre Braugher, Leonardo DiCaprio, Anna Kendrick, Max Martini, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Paddy Considine, Jackie Sandler and Keith David.
The film concerns a killer in Baltimore offing victims in accordance to the six universal emotions a sentinent creature can muster.
The film marks yet another Oscar nomination picture of acclaimed director Aronofsky and was a commercial and critical success both theatrically and in general.
It's praise put it on critic measure with such great neo-noir thriller films as Se7en.
It was released theatrically on September 28th, 2012 and DVD and Blu-Ray January 11th, 2013.
The film garnered Oscar nominations for Best Original Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor: Paddy Considine.
Plot[]
The film begins with disjointed, unsynchronized images which then fill a full sequence showing the stalking of a beautiful woman (Amy Adams) on July 1st, 2012 in Crescent Creek, Baltimore.
The scene then randomely jumps to Detective Mars Bennett (Andre Braugher) who is aiming to get a promotion and become chief inspector in order to triple his retirement pay-off as a safety net for his wife and kids.
We are also introduced to his partner and bestfriend Eddie Samdock (Leonardo DiCaprio) who has a fiance and who in preparation for a leave of absense for his due soon wedding a fill in, Rookie Baltimore Division Detective Jane Goldman (Anna Kendrick).
It is then revealed however as the three are called to the scene of a murder which is the woman who had been shown being stalked at home in the previous scene that she is indeed Eddie's loving fiance. Eddie has a psychotic breakdown upon discovering his fiance Hannah and is discharged from the force and checked into councelling.
He enlists the help of bestfriend Mars who is still on the case and on the basis of their friendship and how his bestfriend's fiance had just been brutally murdered brings him on secretly on the case.
Along for the ride is rookie Detective Goldman who tells her husband had been murdered by a psychopath four years ago which prompted her to become part of the police force.
He had been killed as the man had been obsessed with her and turned out be a high school fellow classmate she had biology with.
The three go over the crime scene and the photographs of Hannah's corpse show that her face had six of it's linear muscles hacked at, etching her face into a permanent smile.
Cause of death was injection of a deadly nerve agent known as "Laughing Gas," which if administered causes one to feel the same affects the drug ecstasy bestows: unnatural joy and confusion.
The injection came through a needle stabbed into her temple violently.
We are then brought through the backhistories of the three detectives and then the anonymous caucasian male killer (Max Martini) who has six victims, one already executed the others set for execution.
The killer lives in a grim apartment and is delusional.
Believes to see the dead and communicates with what he believes to be a reincarnated Hannah Edgecombe.
His next victim a man in a loveless marriage with a cheating wife and two children who both have been murdered.
He is subdued after attempting to drink himself to death and after being tied to the floor and gagged a phone call is delivered to the three detectives telling he's got another one.
The address is given and as the three detectives call in back-up and race to the given address as well as trace the phone call the killer murders the man Oswald McGuillotine via stabbing him in the forehead with a needle which administers a chemical which keeps causing him to cry out in sadness, until his tear ducts rip and bleed out.
When the detectives, paramedics and other authorities arrive they find Oswald in the upstairs master bedroom on the floor with in blood the word "Sadness."
6 of his linear muscles have been cut to forge a permanent sad face and Detective Bennett going over the previous murder of Hannah finds the hidden painted word of "Happiness."
The third victim has already been kidnapped prior to the previous murders and is strapped to a chair.
The third victim an unidentified male who is unconsious awakens and sees birthday candles and a cake and is then advanced by the killer who stabs him in the head with a needle which injects a chemical compound which causes him to be overtly shocked in surprise and have a heart attack.
3 of his linear muscles are then cut to forge a permanent surprised expression on his face.
The scene then jumps back in time to Detective Goldman being kidnapped after departing from her sister's to head back and review on the case of Oswald's murder.
She is sedated and was strapped into a chair opposite the Surprise victim and forced to watch the entire event transpire.
She was dressed as a prostitute to lead the victim to believe she was hired entertainment and upon Detectives Bennett and Samdock finding Goldman they identify the man as John Boorhman, an engineer who had just turned 31 and whose friends always threw birthday surprise pranks.
On the floor spelt out in birthday candles is "Surprise," whilest in Boorhman's blood on the backwall of the theatre where his execution took place to Goldman's witness is the words "I am the Expressionist."
Bennett then establishes the proclaimed Expressionist killer is killing his victims in accordance to the Six Universal Expressions a sentinent creature can muster.
As we see the John Doe killer evade the authorities and scout the city of Baltmore watching over the three detectives it is revealed that the victims are not randomely chosen and are people who connections to the primary detectives in the Baltimore Inspective Unit.
The first victim Hannah Edgecombe being the victim connected to Inspective Unit Detective Eddie Samdock, Oswald being connected to detective Langolier who was the man his wife was cheating with and John Boorhman being the ex-boyfriend of Detective Goldman.
A psychic then appears at the station Larry Kronk (Paddy Considine) who tells he sees what the killer sees, through his eyes and that the next victim is a woman named Anamaria Teven who is revealed as the wife of Inspective Unit Head Detective Marvin.
Despite getting to the scene as the killer is there and firing off shots the detectives and officers miss, Detective Samdock back at the station with the psychic is told cryptic things by him and the detectives fail to save Anamaria who dies in hospital.
Carved into her chest is "Fear," and her face has had 5 linear muscles cut to forge an expression of fear, cause of death being injection of a deadly fear toxin.
The psychic then attempts to lead Bennett, Goldman and Samdock to the next victim who is revealed as Bennett's eldest son who despises him.
Upon reaching him in a foundry yard the psychic is revealed as the real next intended victim and is killed.
6 linear muscles are cut and sprayed in blood besides his body is the word "Disgust," his face matching the given designation.
At the scene with blood written messages Samdock is warned not to pursue but presides to do so anyway.
He is apprehended by the killer and taken to a factory.
There it is revealed that he is Jane Goldman's boyfriend and they murdered her previous husband who was abusive and that he would force her to make the six universal expressions for her otherwise she would sustain severe suffering.
The two crazed have a chained Samdock told he is the final vicitm and will be "Anger."
However Detective Bennett finds the factory and shoots down the anonymous killer boyfriend.
Upon doing so and seeing Jane as an accomplice he is taken by surprise and shot down by her.
She then brings a hot marker to Samdock showing the word Anger on it and goes to place it upon his forehead.
He breaks free of his chains however at last minute as a fatally wounded Bennett shoots him free.
The two wrestle and Jane eventually gets the upper hand.
However as she comes to kill him in pure fury and looking down upon a bleeding to death Bennett and her dead killer accomplice boyfriend she instead brands herself and cuts at her face before a horrified Bennett and Samdock, a sadistic self sacrifice ritual in which she cuts 4 of her linear muscles to make the permanent face of Anger upon herself.
The back-up and paramedics arrive and Bennett is later smothered in hospital by a third accomplice revealed as Marvin Teven.
Cast[]
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