Even though it has a similar title, “Bagman” is not the film version of Rachel Maddow and Michael Yarvitz’s bestseller on Spiro Agnew’s corruptions . This movie was in effect presented as another Kellner, while John Hulme was listed as the author of this movie’s screenplay. A script that is apparently a work of Marker, John’s is much closer to the conclusion that it is a treatment of some short story written just to kill some time during a long commute. Well, that isn’t fair at all because even one of his actual discards could have contained nightmare sequences scarier than those that appear here. If any real chills are to be experienced then it is likely only through the process of falling asleep in the first place, and giving rise to a more interesting nightmare of one’s own.
Troubled from his unsuccessful aspiration of constructing a new mechanical tree trimmer, which has been the cause of his financial constraints, Patrick McKee (Sam Claflin) moves back in with wife Karina (Antonia Thomas)au and young son Jake (Carnell Vincent Rhodes)into Karinas childhood house and obtains a job at family lumber yard with his brother Liam (Steven Cree). As soon as they start to make the new place home Patrick hears some weird sound late at night and is having vivid dreams about Jake being taken away. Kelly becomes enthusiastic about the film, claiming there aren’t any visuals that make sense; only rapid movements of Patrick’s left arm are seen as the lights go on and off, and a doll that should be placed in the attic is panicking somewhere in a closet; fear builds up and there appears that at least something has crept in on the house. Still, Patrick persists that there is something out there making weird noises which he describes as sounding like The Iron Giant with indigestion; and the most bizarre thing is their family with Jake as the center of it is somehow threatened.
It appears that Patrick is actually competent. Since his childhood, he heard a story from his father of Bagman, an ancient evil that reaps innocents and dis enwraps the mothers by encroaching them and taking hostage the innocent children – those belonging to their story as good, and escaping the bad ones. At first, he figured it was just folklore. But then, he came face to face with Bagman himself and barely escaped with his life. Now twenty years later, Bagman reappears (in what looks like the pre-sequence, he is shown grabbing another child) and this time it is his son Patrick who has been terrorized and the doona needs to be struck out more.
Earlier, I claimed that for me ‘Bagman’ is a bad imitation of works of a Stephen King. I say so, because this is not entirely so, nor the criticism is fully warranted. In filmography on the whole, this one seems to have been put together almost wholly from the most overused and played-out horror genre clichés and tropes. This is nothing new to the horror genre, but responsible good filmmakers ensure that those ideas are presented with some spark or motion that makes them useful once again.
Director Colm McCarthy who has credits from Doctor Who and Peaky Blinders to the girl with all the gifts quite sluggishly navigates through the cues and it is so bad that one who is already travel weary feels like he has to take a nap even more than his onscreen protagonist. I realize that he and this other guy Hulme want to accomplish something which is nearer to a Victorian ghost story. It’s just that their only experience of it seems to be a couple of Scooby-Doo’s plots. And those were more rewarding than ‘Bagman’ in the sense that they at least had a denouement. Even though bagman is a so-called horror film there is no gore in the film and the most horrifying is the sound of the recorder that the kid keeps tooting – that’s the most nightmarish element you can expect from the film simply because it terrifies those who have foolishly bought such gifts for their children.
Aside from that, it’s a complete failure from top to bottom— the only thing that stands out is that it got a theatrical release instead of a direct to video treatment which if you are fortunate you threw in a long time ago.
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