Dust Devil -
(108 minute director's cut)
Dust Devil is a stylish, mystical and unique serial killer tale for how it ponders if supernatural forces are to blame for the evils of the world. While other serial killer movies do this -
Seven and
Fallen come to mind - it is refreshing to see one from a non-Judeo-Christian and non-American perspective for a change. Robert John Burke is chilling as the killer and a likely depiction of how southern African natives imagine the devil. The actor retains his American accent, which is an inspired choice for how it makes him all the more otherwordly. The opening scene, which reveals the killer's M.O., expertly sets the tone, made me clench my armrests each time he appeared afterwards and best of all terrified me.
The movie also deserves credit for giving the native characters their own lives and voices instead of just being there to point the leads in the right direction. To be fair, Joe, a sangoma and the most prominent believer does the latter for Mukurob, but the movie gives him three dimensions and that is not all he is there to do. Actually, while director Richard Stanley and not Joe may believe more than anyone, he wisely leaves it up to the audience whether the killer is really pulling the strings of fate or if there are really any strings at all. Stanley is not the best actor's director - too many performances are flat and robotic - and even though I enjoyed the poetic narration and dialogue, some of it is delivered in the same manner and thus leads to tone-disrupting unintentional comedy. The movie's surreal and mystical properties still shine through, though, and besides, how many other serial killer movies fit that description?