Two words sum up this grisly mess. And no, they aren’t “grisly” or “mess.” It’s when detective Renee (Mary J. Blige) yells, “Calling backup!” It’s not only a good judgment call, but it also prepares audiences for what’s to come—no matter how much firepower “Body Cam” brings to the table, it’s never enough to overcome the obstacles at hand. This supernatural revenge thriller aims to shock—bones are crunched, bodies are flung—but ends up being murky at best, boring at worst.
The movie opens with a prologue, using TV news reports to set an eerie tone. “An officer accused of shooting an unarmed Black man has been found not guilty,” says a newscaster. Patrons in a diner look on in disgust, then turn their disgust to an officer ordering coffee. “You’re not welcome here,” says someone behind the counter. So he takes his coffee to go, immediately pulling over a speeding van on a rainy night. “Exit the vehicle,” he says stubbornly. A hooded woman appears. Zap! The officer is sent flying for what seems like 30 feet, followed by a “12 hours earlier” title card. So far so scary.
Malik Vitthal’s direction thrives when horror elements take over the plot. He proficiently mixes technical chops and dank, low-lit locations, while never falling into unwatchable territory. Renee’s vision is blurred not by night, but by a past that saw her son drown in a swimming-pool accident. Her first day back on the force takes a surprising turn when she comes across the aforementioned officer’s corpse on a routine traffic stop. Mysteriously, Renee sees the body cam footage before it disappears, leaving her partner, Danny (Nat Wolff), to wonder if she really saw a man get thrown over a telephone pole, or if past trauma is making her see non-existent things?
This crucial question is supposed to hold surprising secrets, yet we already know the answer (the officer’s fried corpse is a dead giveaway). Great horror movies leave puzzle pieces for audiences to pick up and put together along the way, until the final piece (a.k.a. the climax) puts everything into perspective. Vitthal’s puzzle comes ready-made. There are no epiphanies to speak of in Richmond Riedel and Nicholas McCarthy’s script. As Renee scours buildings at a real-estate agent’s pace, she comes across evidence suggesting Taneesha (Anika Noni Rose), the mother whose son was savagely killed, is turning invisible, then killing cops as revenge. She’s obviously right, but Danny thinks she’s nuts.
Watching “Body Cam” is often disorienting, thereby it successfully evokes Renee’s state of mind—utilizing jarring editing, edgy colors and other visual techniques to put us in her unstable shoes. The problem with Renee is Blige’s one-note performance. Ranging from depressed to half-asleep, the actress, best known for her work in “Mudbound,” could have been replaced by anyone looking to collect an easy paycheck. The supporting cast doesn’t make much of an impression either— David Zayas, David Warshofsky, and Ian Casselberry play dirty cops who look like they need a nap.
By seesawing between tired performances and hellish visuals, Vitthal never delivers on the rage his premise initially promises. We know why Taneesha uses her powers—and possibly her son’s ghost?—to get revenge on LAPD baddies. But what’s the point of everything else? Is Vitthal asking families of victims to revolt? Or does he want them to sympathize with Renee, making sure Americans know that all officers aren’t corrupt? It’s hard to root for either Renee or Taneesha since innocent people die on both sides. The only messages that really land are (1) being a cop is hard work and (2) when storytelling is this convoluted, being an audience member isn’t a walk in the park either. [C-]
“Body Cam” is available now on VOD.
