Written and directed by Chris Baker and Matt Fitch, a mysterious stranger with a deck of cards performs a trick far more sinister than anyone could imagine. Starring: Rowan Polonski, Jennie Eggleton and Matthew Platt.
The introduction viewers receive from The Trick comes in the form of one of its strongest elements, the score from Alexandra Milne. It’s spooky and subtle, it immediately adds a note of foreboding and doom, it’s great work. However, most of the rest of the film doesn’t really live up to that, as it plays its cards in a very overt way.
The biggest element of that is the performance from Rowan Polonski because it’s distinctly over the top. It’s entirely old-school magician, which is creepy but not quite in the way that would be helpful to build tension, he feels out of place. It’s intensely performative, and there’s a great deal of emphasis on the facial cues, it’s a lot of acting with the eyes and it’s hard to find that disturbing or something to be feared, it simply feels like he’s trying too hard. It’s missing the suaveness to pull it off and create intrigue.
Whereas Jennie Eggleton creates a natural air for Rita, it’s the end of her shift, she’s tired but curious, willing to see the trick but not easily convinced. She shifts the tone of her performance as time goes on to nicely reflect the character gauging whether she should be wary of this strange man. In reality, nobody really wants to come across a magician in the pub so it’s a slightly difficult concept to jump into organically, as more than likely he would have just been told to jog on rather than his odd behaviour being entertained.
Visually, it’s not too far off the mark, the cinematography from Sy Turnbull is consistent but lacks sharpness. There’s a greenish-almost beige hue to the aesthetic which feels more dramatically inclined than adding a darkness to the atmosphere. The use of effects and scare tactics also don’t land well. Although with the angle choices and movement of Chris Baker and Matt Fitch’s direction you can clearly see that’s what they were going for, a sinister and menacing tone. The directorial style itself is well done, the writing simply didn’t match the energy enough to bring this one together.
The Trick has an interesting idea but feels old-fashioned and struggles to build the tension needed to let its spooky tale land. Rowan Polonski leans too far into the personality of a traditional magician, it’s melodramatic and a touch desperate. The direction is good and paired with the score, they’re making a great attempt to inject an ominous, creepy vibe but without the other elements to back it up, it can only get so far.
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