Jonathan Crocker

Putting the rage into underage, paedogeddon revenge-fantasy Hard Candy pulls a blind-siding role reversal that sees a 14-year-old super-flirt (X3 starlet Ellen Page) entrap a 32-year-old fashion-snapper cum internet-perv (Patrick Wilson) in his home. Her gameplan? Ice-pack. Scalpel. Medical textbook open at the chapter on male genitalia…

Barbed with twisted wit, Brian Nelson’s script keeps the predator/prey interplay ricocheting off the walls, while debut ad-helmer David Slade’s slick direction flexes the jolt and judder. No question, there’s a (wince) cut-off point to whatever Slade and Nelson have to say about power, sexuality, innocence and violence. But this provocative indie-thriller finds impact in the truly amazing Page, a gender-avenger who’s part cultural critic (“Didn’t Roman Polanski just win an Oscar?”), part sicko-slasher. She and Nelson talk freely with Slade on the disc’s two commentaries, which are joined by deleted scenes and two solid Making Of featurettes.

FILM: [rating stars=”4″]

EXTRAS: [rating stars=”3″]

Read the original article at Total Film