Charlie the Ox

Not everyone's cup of tea because this film has a mean streak running through it. A lot of the jokes and payoffs come at someone's expense and after 90 minutes of that it adds up to a sadness that's cast over the whole affair. But cleverness is the word of the day here (think of a Usual Suspects that makes a lot more sense at the end) and although the plot hinges on a threadbare revenge bent, it's still smarter and more playful than most independent films. Probably plays better in NYC than it would in the sticks. More should be said about the writer- director's eye for set-ups and ear for slippery one-liners. I caught his last film (a bizarre sci-fi experiment) and felt the same way about the visuals and offbeat banter then. Very dark stuff.