Spiral (2007) - a Movie Review

Spiral is an independent physiological thriller starring Joel Moore as Mason and Zackery Levi as Berkeley. Mason plays an extremely shy introvert who works as a telemarketer but is also an extremely gifted painter. Berkeley is Mason's extrovert boss and childhood friend. Mason's life takes an upward turn when he meets an intriguing co-worker, Amber played by Amber Tamblyn. Mason and Amber form a romantic relationship that quickly spirals out of control with Mason's anxiety attacks and flashbacks of a former girlfriend.

This movie is the best movie I have seen in a long time. If you like thrillers with a few twists, go see this movie immediately. The movie kept me spellbound the entire time. I was only familiar with Joel Moore and Zackery Levi as comedic actors. Joel was the geek who ended up with the Russian unibrow chick from Dodgeball and Zackery Levi plays the computer geek from the TV series Chuck. They are both amazing dramatic actors in Spiral. Plus I learned by watching the DVD extras that they also helped write and produce this film. Zackery Levi is now top on my list of favorite actors.

If you have any intention of watching this movie, please do not read anymore of my review. The movie is a must see and is truly better if you have no idea what is going to happen. I highly recommend this movie so please just go see it. I give the movie five out of five stars. Warning: Spoilers ahead.

The movie starts with a rain soaked Mason having a panic attach. He calls his best friend Berkeley who calms him down. Mason lives with constant feelings of dread and paranoia. Berkeley is his only friend and seems to be his stabilizer. At first I didn't understand why Berkeley put up with Mason's behavior but the movie eventually reveals that Berkeley and Mason were childhood friends. Berkeley has stuck by his friend and does try to help him as best as he can. Unfortunately Berkeley choose to ignore his friend's behavior with tragic consequences.

The movie was amazing and kept me guessing the whole time. I quickly figured out that Mason was crazy and probably killed his last girlfriend (which was pretty obvious to anyone which I am sure was intentional by the writers). But the movie kept leading me to believe that maybe the flashbacks were just hallucinations and maybe Mason really wasn't a serial killer. It was so heartbreaking to see how much Amber cared for Mason which blinded her to his mental instability. I actually teared up for Mason when Amber stood him up at Christmas dinner. But then I knew Amber's fate was sealed with that action because she broke Mason's heart. Bad move, never tick of the crazy guy.

The final act is Berkeley confronting a panic stricken Mason in his office. Mason thinks he just killed Amber but Berkeley tells him no, all the girls are just figments of his imagination. Berkeley points out that he has never seen Amber or any of the other girls. Berkeley believes Mason just makes up these girls and kills them out of guilt over the fact that Mason's dad killed Mason's mom. Wow, what a twist. I was shocked but the director has some flashbacks to show where no one really saw Amber. I quickly felt sorry for Mason. Berkeley sends Mason off to clean the blood/red paint off of his hands. The next five minutes of the movie are exceptional and are imprinted in my mind. I really felt for Berkeley as he realizes Mason needs help so he calls a doctor probably to get him involuntary committed for awhile. A co-worker stops by Berkeley's office and asks how Mason is doing. Berkeley tells him not to worry, everyone has problems and Mason will be fine. The co-worker then says he wanted to talk to Mason because one of his worker's didn't show up for work this morning and the girls' mother is worried. The co-worker says he saw Mason talk to Amber several times and maybe he knows where she is at. The look on Berkeley's face when he realizes that there really was an Amber was priceless. Zackery Levi can really act. As Berkeley frantically tears through the office looking for Mason, I really felt his anguish.

The movie is very intense and invokes a wide range of emotions. I felt sorry for Mason, even liked him even though he ends up being a serial killer. I liked Berkeley even though his arrogant attitude blinded him to the possibility that maybe his friend really could get girlfriends. I was upset that Amber died. I felt like she really did love him. I don't think she thought he was crazy. She just thought he still carried a torch for his last girlfriend. The ending scene with Mason driving off in the bus was so sad. Mason truly has no idea that he is a serial killer. Berkeley has helped Mason's disillusionsial mind think that all of the girls weren't real. The double twist at the ending is excellent. I am just amazed by this film and recommend it to any fan of thriller films. But there is one unanswered question that is going to drive me crazy. What was the final sketch of?