Yesterday I received a screener for a soon to be released to DVD film which I reviewed when it premiered at the Camelot Theater in Palm Springs last year. The film is entitled Legacy, and as the closing credits rolled, I rushed back to my original review to see if my thoughts at the time still held true. I am happy to report they do. My words at the time: The movie is at once beautifully filmed, smartly directed, and certainly well acted. And the writing is very clever. But two things stand out above all else. Firstly, it is scary. VERY scary. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. And funny. There are moments of much needed comic relief that work on every level. The ending threw me for such a loop. I never saw it coming. The film's acting standouts include Wolfgang Bodison ("A Few Good Men", "Akeelah And The Bee"), Will Wallace ("The Thin Red Line", "I Am Sam"), Oscar Torre ("Caine", "Libertad"), and relative newcomers Kyrie Maezumi, Francesca Brown, and Cazzy Golomb. Meazumi (known for her work on the daytime drama series "Passions") and Golomb play sisters who are at once beautiful and alternately disarming and vague throughout. Maezumi is such a fine actor that she pulls off a subtlety of character that is brilliant in its scope. A lesser actress would have likely gone over the top in the portrayal of the troubled Ari, the daughter of a serial killer trying to deal with her horrid past. The character certainly is unique, and Ms. Maezumi plays her with a tone of indifference which had me questioning her, mistrusting her, then loving her, throughout this roller-coaster ride of a story. It all comes together on screen in a way that left my partner and I talking about her performance for hours afterward. Ms. Golomb was equally unnerving in her portrayal of the younger sister who starts off as a sickeningly sweet stereo-type before morphing into a wonderfully deviant profile in manipulation. The chemistry between these fine actresses makes the film much more than a thrill piece. It truly is a fun throwback to the Hitchcock school of suspense. Very little blood, very high intensity. Ms. Brown, a knockout and hugely talented British actress, plays Tandi Lewis, a no nonsense Shock Journalist with a quick wit that leaves everyone she encounters a bit worse for wear. The character of Rick Larsen, the hapless sheriff pulled into a storm of bad news by a hot younger woman, is played with a fine flare by Will Wallace. The true tragic figure here, Wallace has a field day portraying a guy who's soul is far more tortured than even he is aware. But its Wolfgang Bodison who is the film's true high point on the acting end. He comes in late, yet manages to almost steal the show as a charming yet all business FBI agent bent on covering his boss's inexperience by leading the charge to find the killer, all the while adding a humor and poise that shine bright. His boss, played by Alisa Schulz, a "Cosmic Radio" alum, has such a powerful underlining vulnerability that you are left pulling for her even when it's clear she is on shaky ground and in way over her head in the investigation. Its hard to review this film without giving away too much of the ending, but I will say this: Legacy is deserving of attention from all lovers of suspense. It pulls you in, scares the hell out of you, then drops you on your head with a twist ending that leaves your jaw in your lap. Really great indie filmmaking, and Mr. Savage is a director well on his way to greatness. After viewing a few of his works now at film festivals and premieres, my opinion stands firm. He just gets better with every film. Legacy will be available July 12th through Osiris Entertainment (www.osirisent.com) on Netfilx, etc.
