Cocaine Bear
2023 · Directed by Elizabeth Banks
Original language: English
- thriller
- comedy
- crime
The story
Inspired by a true story, an oddball group of cops, criminals, tourists and teens converge in a Georgia forest where a 500-pound black bear goes on a murderous rampage after unintentionally ingesting cocaine.
What it’s like
Bright, saturated Georgia woods shot with a sun-drenched, slightly overlit digital gloss, the forest green and cheap-neon-dark by turns, with handheld swoops that pick up the scrum of cops, dealers and tourists stumbling into one another. The sound is a busy mix of twangy country, pulsing synth stings and sudden lurches of silence before the bear's wet, heavy roar. It's campy, loud and deliberately silly, a satirical splatter comedy that keeps the mood bouncing between laughs and jolts. Violence is frequent and cartoonishly gory: quick, bloody attacks on bodies and faces, played for dark humor rather than real dread. Sex and swearing are present, with crude jokes throughout. Pacing is brisk and scrappy, with a rowdy, ensemble energy and a wink at the end, including a stinger after the credits. This suits a rowdy Friday night with friends or a bored, mischievous streaming night, and fits viewers who want goofy, gory dark comedy with a bit of a sting.
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