I've seen movies that were pointedly biting and acrid in their comedy or drama, but still I felt unprepared for the beginning of 'Tricked' - this is a treat that sprouts porcupine spines as it goes down. The sordid secrets, searing spite, and complications these characters have between one another are all but bewildering, and the blend of it all is consistently spicy from the very start. That the tone isn't carried through the entire way is a tad unfortunate, for where the writing deviates from the dark humor it feels a tad common. Still, overall this is pretty fun!
The crowd-sourced inception of the project is marvelously novel. While director Paul Verhoeven lends his own hand to the writing to tie it all together, clearly the folks who contributed otherwise are no slouches, either. In fact, whether one wishes to credit Verhoeven alone with his skills as a filmmaker, or the collective imagination of non-professionals who pieced together the story, I don't think those origins are reflected in the finished product the way one might fear. The technical craft of 'Tricked' from behind the scenes is impeccable, and the writing comes across as being equally keen. The characters are smart with a lot going on behind their superficial sociability, and the dialogue between them is decidedly cutting. True, the narrative as a whole isn't the most extraordinary concoction, but it's duly engrossing and satisfying all the same. And just as much to the point, where the story may marginally falter, the scene writing tends to pick up the slack with the same best wit and intelligence that we recognize elsewhere in the assembled screenplay.
I also really like the cast. The characters distinctly vary even as they share personality traits, but are also written with sufficient room to allow the ensemble a measure of interpretation. And they take advantage of what they're given with fine portrayals to really bring the figures to vivid life. It hardly seems fair to even highlight one actor over another, as at one point or another each is given the spotlight and demonstrates their abilities.
Purely as a point of comparison I'd be curious to watch the companion feature, 'Counterparts,' that was derived directly from the crowd-sourced material. As it is, 'Tricked' is imperfect, yet nonetheless a delightful addition to Verhoeven's body of work. Even for as consciously bitter as much of the humor and story beats may be, one could argue that this remains light amusement relative to some of the director's other films. There were a lot of ways this could have gone wrong, though, and not least with Verhoeven's experience and steady guiding hand at the helm, the movie is highly enjoyable and a good use of 55 short minutes.
