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Many films have been made about the Beat Generation of the freewheeling 40's, but none have been so painfully targeted towards a younger generation of movie-goers. Am I saying this as a negative comment? Not at all. I think Dane DeHaan and (especially) Radcliffe more than fill their roles as Lucien Carr and Allen Ginsberg, respectfully.
Their were no other important figures in this particular movement than the men these wonderful actors portray in Kill Your Darlings. Ben Foster, Jack Huston, and Michael C. Hall only fluff up Radcliffe and DeHaan's performances, and by that I mean they were almost equally impressive, although Ben Foster as William S. Burroughs seemed to be a tad underwhelming. Nonetheless this story devolves into debauchery, drug inducing fits of enlightenment, and of course murder.
This is a true story and for people who know a thing or two about these men going into it, they know that DeHaan's character murders a man for reasons I'm not even too sure as to why. But for anybody else who doesn't know, well the beginning essentially zaps any suspense the film could've attained, with the psychological weight of the horrific act viewed before details are in place, giving away the picture's inviting sense of escalation. It's a rookie mistake that I don't see why it was even necessary, but honestly it doesn't bother me because I've studied this bit of American history. It isn't a story like Lincoln though, where of course everybody knows he gets assassinated. Could've been a little secret till the end.
All In All, Kill Your Darlings dramatizes the development of this artistic liberation, using a tale of obsession and murder as passageway into a private world of intelligence, recklessness, and revolution. Daniel Radcliffe shines as a naïve young Allen, only proving once again that he's so far out of that Harry Potter bubble, and thank goodness for that, right? B
Kill Your Darlings
Many films have been made about the Beat Generation of the freewheeling 40's, but none have been so painfully targeted towards a younger generation of movie-goers. Am I saying this as a negative comment? Not at all. I think Dane DeHaan and (especially) Radcliffe more than fill their roles as Lucien Carr and Allen Ginsberg, respectfully.
Their were no other important figures in this particular movement than the men these wonderful actors portray in Kill Your Darlings. Ben Foster, Jack Huston, and Michael C. Hall only fluff up Radcliffe and DeHaan's performances, and by that I mean they were almost equally impressive, although Ben Foster as William S. Burroughs seemed to be a tad underwhelming. Nonetheless this story devolves into debauchery, drug inducing fits of enlightenment, and of course murder.
This is a true story and for people who know a thing or two about these men going into it, they know that DeHaan's character murders a man for reasons I'm not even too sure as to why. But for anybody else who doesn't know, well the beginning essentially zaps any suspense the film could've attained, with the psychological weight of the horrific act viewed before details are in place, giving away the picture's inviting sense of escalation. It's a rookie mistake that I don't see why it was even necessary, but honestly it doesn't bother me because I've studied this bit of American history. It isn't a story like Lincoln though, where of course everybody knows he gets assassinated. Could've been a little secret till the end.
All In All, Kill Your Darlings dramatizes the development of this artistic liberation, using a tale of obsession and murder as passageway into a private world of intelligence, recklessness, and revolution. Daniel Radcliffe shines as a naïve young Allen, only proving once again that he's so far out of that Harry Potter bubble, and thank goodness for that, right? B