KING OF THE ANTS

King of the Ants
 

Starring: Chris McKenna, Kari Wuhrer, Daniel Baldwin, George Wendt, Timm Sharp
Director: Stuart Gordon
Format: NTSC
 

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King of the Ants isn't sci-fi at all ? even though it is one of the discs you'd receive when you sign up to the William Shatner DVD club.

It isn't horror either - despite the misleading DVD cover and the fact that it is directed by horror regular Stuart Gordon. To be honest King of the Ants isn't easily classifiable at all and could perhaps be best classified as a crime thriller even though it has some horror touches thrown in for good measure.

A loner type Sean Crawley (Chris McKenna in a great screen debut) barely makes a living painting houses when he meets an electrician Duke Wayne (George Wendt, ?Norm? from Cheers). Duke knows some people who can help Sean with odd jobs. Is he interested? Of course Sean is. The ?people? turn out to be a criminal property developer named Ray Matthews (played with slimy brilliance by Daniel Baldwin) and soon Sean accepts an offer to murder a city hall accountant who is busy investigating Ray's shady deals . . .

The less you know about the plot of King of the Ants, the better. The movie moves into some unexpected directions during its never dull 101 minutes and while you might be harboring some genre expectations that won't be realized, you won't be disappointed with the final outcome.

Be warned though that King of the Ants contains some brutal and disturbing torture scenes and is quite violent. If you're squeamish it is recommended that you stay well away. Those with stronger stomachs however won't be disappointed by this unexpectedly good film.

THE DISC: Some trailers and a director's and actor's commentary.

WORTH IT? Gordon will of course be ultimately remembered for his film debut, the cult classic Re-animator back in 1985. Since then his career has had its ups and downs with films such as Fortress, Robot Jox, and Space Truckers. To be honest King of the Ants represents a definite return to form for this cult favorite director.