PERFECT CUTS刀鋒冷
Sharp Objects is a masterfully told tale of murder and personal demons. By KEVIN MA
美劇《利器》娓娓道出一個跟謀殺與心魔有關的故事。撰文：馬樂民
AT THE END of Sharp Objects’ fourth episode, a surprising revelation brings three characters (and three different pieces of music) clashing together in a rapid montage. It’s one of the most impressively edited sequences I’ve seen in a TV show, but it’s only one of the many signs of brillance sprinkled throughout HBO’s new one-season wonder.
Since the successful movie adaptation of her novel Gone Girl, Gillian Flynn has become one of the hottest screenwriters in Hollywood. Flynn’s first foray into TV is an adaptation of her first published novel, a dark tale of a journalist who’s forced to face her demons and her cold, controlling mother while investigating a series of murders in her hometown of Wind Gap, Missouri.
The project has prestige written all over it: five-time Oscar nominee Amy Adams leads the cast as journalist Camille Preaker; it’s co- produced by Jason Blum, whose Blumhouse Productions is behind successful genre films such as Get Out, Split and the new Halloween sequel; and all eight episodes are directed by JeanMarc Vallée, who won an Emmy for HBO’s Big Little Lies. Flynn wrote or co-wrote three of the episodes.
Despite reportedly butting heads with showrunner Marti Noxon for trying to cut dialogue in favour of visuals, Vallée brings the screenplay’s southern wit and psychological terror to life with a balance of grace and grit. Vallée doesn’t shy away from the darkest elements of the story – including the heroine’s habit of selfmutilation – but the series handles such issues sensitively. The director’s insistence on filming the entire show himself gives it a singular vision, paving the way for impressive sequences like the montage in episode four. Sharp Objects is a grim and unusual slow burn that requires patience, but it’s hard to shake it off once you’re hooked.
當《利器》的故事來到第四集時，結尾出現一段出人意表的蒙太奇，利用三段不同的音樂和快速變換的畫面，交代了劇中三位主角的相似之處。我看過的電視劇集多不勝數，但這個片段的剪接手法令我深深佩服，然而，這只是HBO這齣最新迷你劇集其中一個神來之筆。
作家 Gillian Flynn自從以《失蹤罪》的原著小說一炮而紅後，成為荷李活大紅大紫的編劇。她首次進軍電視界，將自己第一本面世的小說改編；這個陰暗的故事講述一名記者為了調查連環謀殺案，回到位於密蘇里州的家鄉 Wind Gap鎮，被迫面對自己的心魔，以及控制欲特別強烈及冷酷的母親。
本劇網羅多位台前幕後的精英：由獲得五次奧斯卡提名的Amy Adams 飾演劇中的女記者 Camille Preaker；Jason Blum擔任聯合監製，他的製片公司 Blumhouse Productions曾拍過多部成功的類型電影，如《訪．嚇》、《思．裂》及最新一部《月光光心慌慌》系列電影。本劇共八集，全部均由曾以HBO劇集《小謊言》贏得艾美獎的Jean-Marc Vallée 擔任導演， Flynn則撰寫及聯合撰寫了其中三集劇本。
儘管一度傳出 Vallée 要求刪減對白以提高視覺效果，因而與節目統籌 Marti Noxon 發生爭執，但 Vallée 仍以從容而堅定的態度，充分呈現了劇本內的南方幽默及心理恐懼。Vallée 並不迴避故事中的黑暗元素，括女主角的自殘傾向，以細膩手法處理敏感的題材。導演堅持由他一人獨力執導這套劇集，使全劇一氣呵成，鋪陳出一段又一段令人印象深刻的片段，如第四集結束時的蒙太奇。《利器》故事陰森，劇情醞釀緩慢，必須以耐性細細咀嚼，但當你一旦被故事吸引，就會欲罷不能。