Demolition is a special kind of movie. One that gives screen time to different types of people. People you run into every day, but have a hard time understanding.
Demolition (2015) was a film that was always on my radar. I love Jake Gyllenhaal, and he’s always down to do crazy roles. He seems to want to challenge himself with every movie, delivering vastly different performances in each. He tries to be a chameleon, turning into unique characters you don’t see anywhere else.
Demolition (2015) is no different; it really felt like something extremely unique. I hadn’t seen a movie based around a character like his in a very long time, if ever. It’s about the kind of people who don’t know how to talk about their feelings and have a hard time even showing them. The kind of person who might be scary to be around, but ultimately is human as well. This movie would fare well with Nightcrawler, being a good double feature.
The film itself centers around Jake Gyllenhaal’s character, Davis, whose wife recently died in a car crash. Instead of grieving, he ends up entering a strange world of his own making. His life takes a 180 after her passing, as he tries different things and ultimately rebuilds his life alongside the people he meets. The movie is pretty unconventional in that it shows a different kind of grieving process.
Everyone has their own way of processing things, and in this movie, he has a very unique way of processing grief.
Jake Gyllenhaal once again delivers an iconic performance in Demolition (2015). So many people think Nightcrawler is his best performance, but I believe he has many others, because he lost so much weight for that film.
A lot of people like to attribute his looking more like the character to how good he was, which I agree with a little. He was fantastic in that film, but I definitely don’t think it’s his best. I think Demolition (2015) definitely stands a couple of notches above that because of how unique this character was. It’s a kind of character I haven’t seen put on film before, really.
The closest thing I can think of would be Patrick Bateman from American Psycho, but he’s nowhere near as terrible as that character is. Patrick Bateman is a killer and a pretty bad person, but his quirkiness is something Davis shares with Demolition (2015). Demolition (2015) also has an excellent ensemble, with Naomi Watts and Chris Cooper delivering great performances.
Both offer unique perspectives on how they deal with Davis in the film. The film is going to be remembered for a lot of things, and right now it’s remembered for Jake Gyllenhaal’s dancing. If you haven’t seen the movie or heard of it, you’ve probably seen that clip online, as that’s definitely what I saw. When discussing the film, people say it’s a dark comedy of sorts.
While Demolition (2015) definitely has those kinds of moments, it feels a lot more serious than silly at times. It kind of has its own thing going for it. It’s a pretty unique movie, and I haven’t seen anything like it. It’s not the greatest movie I’ve ever made or anything, but it’s so awesome to see movies that you can’t pigeonhole into a genre.
Because this movie really does have more to it than just being a black comedy. It makes you think and ultimately makes you feel good by the end of it. I believe it’s very special in that way. In the latter half of Demolition (2015), it teeters towards predictability, whereas at the beginning of the movie, it was more unpredictable.
Ultimately, the ending is great, but near the 3/4 mark of the film, I definitely saw a lot of things coming more clearly than before. It’s the beginning of the movie. The adrenaline you feel throughout the film is pretty awesome, too.
Demolition (2015) builds as you see Davis try to deal with his wife’s loss in strange and unique ways. He ends up meeting other people who are dealing with their own problems. It’s only when he can branch out and be with other people that he can really understand his own problems. Ultimately, his character has a very unique arc, and I’m very satisfied with the end of Demolition (2015).
I’m really glad that Jake Gyllenhaal still tries to do unique movies. A lot of actors get a role they do very well and stick with it. That’s totally fine, but it’s awesome to see an actor who’s down for anything. And not just be down for it, but also execute it. He truly is one of the best actors of our generation, along with Leonardo DiCaprio, Christian Bale, and many others.
Those who come to mine because, along with Gyllenhaal, they are more chameleon-like and try to embody their characters spiritually and physically. DiCaprio did great in One Battle After Another, looking and feeling like his character should.
And just like Jake Gyllenhaal, we know DiCaprio doesn’t do just anything. He takes his time and picks unique roles that he feels are different than what he’s done in the past. We don’t see it as much anymore because the form is more saturated nowadays.
With streaming and such, it’s so much easier to get a quick click when a character is playing a similar, familiar role. You know exactly what you’re in for, and that familiarity has people hooked pretty well. People are really into just seeing the same story over and over. But with Demolition (2015), I saw a story that had never been told, along with characters I had never seen on screen.
I think that’s what truly makes film powerful, and I hope people give this movie a shot, as it seems to have a cult following online. Also, it helps that Demolition (2015) has an iconic scene that’s got a lot of people watching, including me.
Just seeing Jake Gyllenhaal dance around in the subway and then among hundreds of people in the street is enough to get me to watch it, which is one thing I can say that’s good about social media. You get a clip of a film that intrigues you to check out more. One of the few things I think social media is good for.
Overall, Demolition (2015) is a unique and extremely entertaining film. It’s definitely mature, and you’re not just going to be able to turn your brain off while watching it, but it’s still entertaining at the same time.
