The Beaver (DVD)

After failing rather badly at the box office, Jodie Foster's underrated film now comes to DVD. The Beaver follows suicidal middle aged man, Walter Black (Mel Gibson). A combination of deep rooted psychological turmoil and unfortunate family matters make him take a turn for the worse. Rather than confront his problems, he decides to use a hand puppet shaped like a beaver to place a buffer between himself and the real world.

It would be fair (if rather understated) to say that Mel Gibson's popularity has experienced a sharp decline over the last few years. Once a much loved superstar, he has been confronted with damaging news paper headlines and fizzled out in a haze od criticism and hatred.

Much like Mickey Rourke's performance in The Wrestler (2008), Mel Gibson makes a powerful and explosive comeback in The Beaver. As a self confessed sufferer of depression and alcoholism, Gibson's role hauntingly reflects his personal life. He puts his all into this part – sensitive yet hilarious, for the first time in years he is top of the game.

The tight script and fantastic performances turn what could have been an offensive premise into a convincing emotional rollercoaster. The script's structure and dialogue forms a rare balance of covering serious issues with a layer of genuine hilarity. Much like the characters in the film, we joke and laugh in order to get through life's toughest times.

The film has its faults. The subplot involving Walter's son (Anton Yelchin) is lacking the emotional edge to keep the flow of the narrative going as consistently smooth as it could have done. That said, the dialogue is sharp and witty with only a few scenes falling flat (one in particular totally fails).

Overall Verdict: It's a shame that this underrated gem has been shifted aside and ignored; if you don't find the premise too bizarre check it out.

Special Features:
None

Reviewer: Samuel Barnett