A second-string Batman villain, even one who’s endured for decades in various incarnations across different media, seems a strange pick for a solo feature. But, hey, if Sony has the chutzpah to spin off standalone films for relative Marvel Comics obscurities like Madame Web and Morbius, then why shouldn’t DC Studios want to give the world Clayface?
Director James Watkins (Speak No Evil) could hardly have made anything sillier than Madame Web — although in an alternate universe we might like to see him try. In fact, Clayface is a great deal more successful at translating comic book sci-fi fantasy to absorbing, well-acted live action.
Most persuasively, the movie, written by Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini, knows what sort of superhero-adjacent psychological thriller it wants to be. First, make no mention of any superhero, despite a story set primarily in Gotham City. Then, go all in on R-rated gore for a darkly funny, vividly gruesome tale of revenge and horrific bodily transformation.
Choosing from among the many versions of Clayface since the character was introduced 86 years ago in Detective Comics, the film follows Matt Hagen (Tom Rhys Harries), a rising actor on the precipice of superstardom. An Oscar nomination propels Hagen, who grew up poor in Gotham, into the jet-set life — and into the arms of the wrong man’s woman.
Mobster Markos Szabo (David Dencik) repays the disrespect by carving the movie star’s face into slabs of meat. For the scene of brutal disfigurement, Watkins keeps the camera close on the carving, the movie’s consistent m.o. for presenting whatever bloody violence befalls Hagen and his money-making face, or anyone unlucky enough to earn his ire once he becomes Clayface.
But before his transformation, there’s his fall from grace, which is swift and steep. In the blink of a tidy montage, Hagen, after his face is slashed to bits, loses everything, a cruel commentary on the fragility of fame.
The precipitous fall brings urgency to Hagen’s quest for a plastic surgery fix. Rhys Harries (Netflix’s White Lines) projects that desperation through every contortion of his face, which seems pretty pliable even without the additional makeup and visual effects.
Of course, the makeup and effects really get put to work once Hagen submits himself as a guinea pig patient for a nano-cell “miracle” still under development by Dr. Caitlyn Corr (Naomie Ackie). Caitlyn’s research is so experimental and so unorthodox, miracle barely begins to describe it. Add “nano” to whatever tech your sci-fi character’s working on these days and it can do anything.
The nano-cells “infiltrate your tissue,” she explains to Hagen. “They control themselves. The beauty of artificial intelligence.” That’s a good one.
It comes as no surprise that the nano-cell infusion produces painful, destabilizing side effects that turn Hagen into a moldable heap of skin, flesh, and bone hell-bent on wreaking vengeance on the long list of folks who’ve wronged him. What is mildly surprising is the film’s gradual swerve into heartfelt romance alongside all the gnarly slashing and stabbing.
The world has tossed Hagen into the streets, but Dr. Caitlyn shows him caring and kindness, offering him more than a shred of hope. Rhys Harries and Ackie generate urgency here, too, as Hagen grows not just to appreciate the doctor’s attention and touch, but actually falls for her.
Things get believably complicated, with Caitlyn’s handsome police detective fiancé John Borrelli (Max Minghella) investigating a string of murders that might involve Hagen. Borrelli’s also not blind to Caitlyn’s closeness with her patient.
The romance is played with all the nuance and emotional intelligence the primary revenge story lacks. Crime lord Szabo, his henchmen, and gangster moll femme fatale Mia (Joana Ribeiro) are as generic as it gets. The movie even points this out when one of Szabo’s minions is injured and someone yells to him, “Call your mob doctor!”
So, some Madame Web-style silliness definitely sneaks in there, along with a delightful dance sequence. The film also uses Clayface’s uncanny ability to mold himself into other people to consistently clever comic effect.
Practically every actor in the main cast — from Ackie and Minghella, to Eddie Marsan, as Hagen’s duplicitous business manager Frank — gets a chance to emote as Clayface in disguise. A rogue who can fool his foes by faking his appearance calls for a superhero equipped to face any trickster. In all of Gotham City, will such a hero arise?
Clayface is rated R and playing in theaters nationwide. Visit fandango.com.
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