Who’s not living for the latest action, thriller, and horror movies? They’re always on my radar. I watched a trailer for Steppenwolf and felt drawn in by the violence and exciting kills. It’s the latest film from acclaimed director Adilkhan Yerzhanov (Goliath) and Oscar-nominated producer Alexander Rodnyansky (Leviathan). You can hop over to ARROW today for the exclusive release of Steppenwolf (UK/Ireland/US/Canada).
Tamara (Anna Starchenko), a traumatized young mother, searches for her missing son in a small town plagued by riots and violence. As a last resort, she follows a nihilistic former police investigator (Berik Aytzhanov) to help in her search. What follows is a dangerous journey with little hope of survival and even less chance of finding the missing boy. Steppenwolf is bleak, brutal, and exciting, and it turned my stomach from start to finish.
The Good
Steppenwolf won the Golden Raven Grand Prix at the 2024 Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival and received the Outstanding Performance Award for Anna Starchenko and Berik Aitzhanov at the 2024 Fantasia Film Festival. The cinematography is brilliant. The landscapes are dark and beautiful. There is plenty of fighting, bulletfire, and gnarly kills. I especially like the music and sound design, punctuating all the best moments. The thrilling pace never lets up as the pair moves from one location to another. Best of all, Steppenwolf has a great revenge plot.
The Bad
First, this man is a psychopath. I found humor in his swiftness in berating and killing. Moreover he has his own agenda and he’s a sadistic shit human being. We get a lot of his background from his stories, the language he uses, and the treatment of Tamara. But I easily got lost in the dark and heavy mood.
Tamara’s character is tough to watch. Tamara appears catatonic at times and in shock. She’s quite pitiful and mumbles a lot. Unfortunately, it was too much for me. Abuse is part of a lot of our lives, and some of us have never left it behind. I was thinking about Tamara’s future and all the consequences of her traumatic past, and her son’s safe return. I guess I am saying that Steppenwolf is so excellent at portraying this miserable environment that it consumed me. Yes, I promise I am laughing at that statement.
The Ugly
I didn’t feel like I needed a trigger warning, but I read a few people state that Steppenwolf was akin to old westerns, and I agree. I had the same queasy feeling from the beginning of 1973’s High Plains Drifter. In this case, there is no on-screen sexual violence. The brutality wasn’t the worst I’ve seen in films. However, the continuous slapping, pushing, and verbal abuse of Tamara in her mental state was too much for me.
Altogether, I watched Steppenwolf with eyes wide open and a lingering unease. I didn’t find anything shocking, but I felt the bleakness. There is no other perfect word to use in my description. I was immersed in this miserable environment and felt an overwhelming sick feeling. Add Steppenwolf to your watchlist and check out ARROW for the exclusive release.
