Malcolm McDowell is widely known primarily for just two things, one being 'A clockwork orange' and the other being his unmistakable voice - practically the auditory equivalent of a sneer - that makes him perfect for particular roles, and villains above all. It's regrettable that in the latter part of his career McDowell has become rather pigeon-holed in that regard, being the go-to choice for anyone making a movie who is in need of an antagonist, with the result that the actor has found himself cast in a lot of schlock in, well, the past couple decades. That's not to say that Frank Merle's 'The employer' is totally rotten, but even from the very start it's very clearly a mixed bag, and it just doesn't have enough strength to pick itself up. I guess there are worse things you could watch, but nor is there any specific reason to check it out.
The writing wavers on a needlepoint of being blunt and unsubtle, yet carrying tinges of cleverness and nuance at some points and in some ways. Merle's direction, unfortunately, operates on a spectrum between heavy-handed and overcooked, and meek and undercooked. There are good ideas here, but even the characters are kind of stock material, templates that haven't been especially built upon in a meaningful way; illustrating the point, we can easily guess at the turn to come in how one is portrayed just because of how they are not given much focus early on - with the ultimate outcome of the competition being just as predictable. With the material being so weak, or at least not special, and Merle's direction hovering between insufficient and outright deficient, the cast struggle to make a mark. We know what McDowell is capable of at his best, and David Dastmalchian; I'm not familiar with Paige Howard, Michael DeLorenzo, Matthew Willig, or Katerina Mikailenko, but each illustrate a glimmer of skill (not served well by the feature) that tells me I'd like them elsewhere. Yet that's all we get from the cast here - a glimmer - and that's all 'The employer' at large really has to offer.
The stunts and effects are swell, sure, and I appreciate the production design, costume design, hair, and makeup. Though treated somewhat gawkily, there are obvious themes about the ruthlessness of capitalism and its most active participants; the scenario is barely an exaggeration at all as Merle correctly informs us, words unspoken, that the entirety of the economic system is evil and corrupt. And the foundation is here for what could have been a vibrant, exciting thriller. However, between the writing and direction? Well, to put it in Merle's own terms, 'The employer' could have been a vicious shark, but when all is said and done it's really just a meal, and at that one that is not really appetizing, let alone satisfying. It's not bad. It's just mostly much too meager to make itself count, and given the ideas underlying the premise, that's maybe even worse than if it had failed outright. Oh well.
