Park Chan-wook's long-awaited first English-language film is an absorbing, coolly-deranged melodrama that holds not only narrative surprises but also a very high level of visual control and creativity. At its heart lies three terrific performances: Kidman reminds us of her nuance-playing at its best, Mia Wasikowska makes up for the memory of Alice with a hauntingly twisted portrayal of the bereaved daughter, and Matthew Goode makes Uncle Charlie a beguiling and compelling character. Wentworth Miller's script is spare and wonderfully precise, and the level of directorial and performance control is at times breathtaking, even though occasionally it can come across as a little too self-conscious, especially the overt sexual 'openings' metaphors and double entendres. It may play like Woody Allen's Interiors filtered through Michael Haneke, but Stoker has an unique identity in today's market.
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