Daniel Craig performs method in opposition to kind in Luca Guadagnino’s adaptation of the seminal novella.
PLOT: An alcoholic, drug-addicted, middle-aged American expatriate (Daniel Craig) dwelling in Mexico Metropolis falls arduous for a a lot youthful, just lately discharged ex-American Navy serviceman (Drew Starkey).
REVIEW: Of in the present day’s most acclaimed administrators, few are as prolific as Luca Guadagnino. With two acclaimed films vying for awards consideration this yr, and a complete slew of tasks introduced for 2025 and past (together with an unlikely adaptation of DC’s Sgt. Rock), he’s turn into the uncommon art-house director whose films have distinct crossover enchantment. Challengers was his largest monetary hit up to now, and this one – Queer – pairs him with one of the crucial iconic fashionable film stars, Daniel Craig, who helped reinvent James Bond for the twenty first century.
Regardless of the plain enchantment of their pairing, Queer is a extra area of interest title than Guadagnino’s previous few outings. An adaptation of the William S. Burroughs’ novel of the identical title, it is a meandering odyssey of self-destruction that’s completely dominated by Craig’s bravura efficiency, though he chews a lot of the surroundings it leaves little room for his co-star, Drew Starkey (of Outer Banks) to make a lot of an impression.
Craig’s William Lee is an analogue of Burroughs himself, with him portrayed as deeply insecure and continuously on the make for youthful males he can fulfill himself with. The whole lot he does is to an excessive, from his pursuit of males who might or will not be, as he himself places it, “queer”, to his fixed consuming and drug use.
Craig appears to be having a ball in a job that’s as far faraway from 007 or Benoit Blanc as you may get. We’ve gotten used to seeing Craig as two of essentially the most assured, confident heroes of recent movie, however in Queer, he’s something however. A lot of the movie facilities round Lee’s infatuation with Starkey’s Eugene, a bi-sexual former serviceman who permits himself for use sexually by males, however is essentially detached to their emotions. It’s this doomed facet of the connection that most likely attracts Lee like a moth to a flame as the lads embark on a drug-addled journey into South America.
Some will discover Queer totally absorbing, however others will discover it a tad tedious – and I have to admit that I fall into the latter class even when I did discover a lot to understand about it. Apparently, the director’s preliminary minimize was nearer to 3 hours, but it surely’s already a reasonably padded-out 135 minutes, with a prolonged part dedicated to Lee and Eugene experimenting with Ayahuasca provided by Leslie Manville’s jungle-based Dr. Cotter.
If you happen to’re a fan of Burroughs, Queer may be a must-see, however for a extra informal fan, it’ll probably be Craig’s look that would be the draw. Even when the film meanders, Guadagnino retains it trendy, with beautiful cinematography by his ordinary DP Sayombhu Mukdeeprom. He additionally does one thing distinctive with the soundtrack, scoring it with intentionally anachronistic music, together with a number of Nirvana tracks, a number of Prince songs, and a rating by Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor. My solely problem with Guadagnino’s aesthetic is that Burroughs world comes throughout much more glamorous on the display than it did on the web page, with Craig immaculately attired all through and sporting his 007 physique, which doesn’t actually jibe with the truth that Lee is a middle-aged junkie who’s by no means sober. Too usually, Craig feels glamourously drunk or excessive, with even moments the place he’s in withdrawal given a lush, romanticized vibe.
In the long run, Queer is an train in model for its director, and for Craig, it provides him a chance to stretch himself and showcase his megawatt charisma. It’s immaculately assembled and a must-see for Burroughs followers, but it surely probably gained’t crossover in the best way one thing like Name Me By Your Title or Challengers did. It’s extra just like the director’s I Am Love or A Larger Splash than his extra mainstream work.
