Caroline Callahan
Contributing Writer
Director Emerald Fennell’s second and latest film, Saltburn, is an ambitious and visually stunning endeavor into social criticism. Still, it remains laden with errors in pacing and characters that fall flat.
The film begins at Oxford University, where the audience is introduced to Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan), a first-year student whose unfortunate living circumstances invite the attention of his wealthy classmate, Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi). Felix then invites Oliver to his family estate, Saltburn, where tension steadily brews and boils over.
The first act at Oxford is one of the film’s weaker points; it feels unnecessarily drawn out and contributes excessive fluff and scenes irrelevant to the story. Its attempts at character development are weak as well. The dialogue between Oliver and Farleigh (Archie Madekwe), a relative of the Catton family and fellow student at Oxford, is trivial and ineffective at establishing a relationship between the two characters. Additionally, Oliver and Felix’s transition from acquaintances to friends is far too abrupt. It mistakenly relies on a montage of snippets and mundane exchanges rather than a practical and passionate dialogue, which would have made the foundation of Oliver and Felix’s friendship much more believable. Despite brilliant performances from Keoghan, Elordi, and Madekwe, the first act’s excessive length and scarce substance work to cheapen the film.
While issues in pacing are prevalent, Saltburn redeems itself with an impeccable cast, mesmerizing visuals in both cinematography and costuming, and an exciting soundtrack.
Rosamund Pike, Alison Oliver, and Richard E. Grant triumph in their masterful depictions of the vain, shallow aristocratic elites that compose the Catton family. Elspeth (Pike) is comedically melodramatic with an affinity for glamor, while Venetia (Oliver) is similarly stylish with a tragic depth. Sir James (Grant) is initially quiet and reserved but later delivers a powerful emotional outburst. The Catton’s dullness, however, is their strength, as their trivial preoccupations make them seem even more out of touch with reality. Furthermore, Fennell spares no detail in creating an immersive setting; the estate is littered with expense. In addition to old-world splendor—paintings by Peter Paul Rubens and artifacts from Henry VIII line the walls—the Cattons indulge their extravagant nouveau-riche fancies in a costumed party for Oliver’s birthday. Attendees in the hundreds don suits of armor, medieval attire, and animal costumes amid a backdrop of fluorescent lighting, massive displays of food, lavish décor, and, of course, plenty of champagne. Songs like MGMT’s 2007 hit “Time to Pretend,” “Perfect (Exceeder)” by Mason and Princess Superstar, and Sophie-Ellis Bextor’s “Murder on the Dancefloor” perfectly set the mood for the scenes in which they appear. “Perfect” gives Oliver’s party scene its high, intense energy, immersing the audience in the scene’s exuberance. The scene, a film highlight, is a satisfying nod to 2000s party culture, music, and fashion.
Viewers have also noted the movie’s similarity to the 1999 film adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s novel The Talented Mr. Ripley, a sentiment I would agree with. Matt Damon’s Tom Ripley, whose borderline sociopathic infatuation with Jude Law’s Dickie Greenleaf, coupled with an unquenchable desire for Dickie’s lifestyle, is undoubtedly reminiscent of Keoghan’s Oliver Quick, whose obsession with his alluring host, Elordi’s Felix, takes a similar turn for the worse. While Damon’s Ripley is undoubtedly disturbing, Keoghan’s Oliver is arguably more so.
Saltburn’s infamous graveyard scene, which Keoghan improvised and, in the interest of avoiding spoilers and because of its graphic nature, I will not further describe, is a testament to the Irish actor’s mastery of depicting deranged characters, as seen in The Batman (2022) and The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017). Additional graphic scenes, such as the bathtub scene and the vampire scene (readers who have seen the film will know exactly what I am referring to), are attempts at revealing Oliver’s sociopathic nature. Still, in the context of the film, they feel like cheap insertions for shock value. It could well be argued that the vampire scene represents Oliver’s role as an archetypal vampire, as he essentially consumes the Cattons in exchange for power. Still, this interpretation is not immediately clear upon a first watch of the movie. Where Saltburn fails in this regard, The Talented Mr. Ripley succeeds with a more subtle depiction of insanity.
Undeniable talent from the cast, cinematographers, and costume departments allows the movie to remain an exciting spectacle, but abundant flaws muddle the film’s story. Saltburn’s lengthy runtime of two hours and seven minutes is occupied by an excessive amount of unnecessary filler scenes, and the ending of the film reveals too much about Oliver’s plans, spoiling any chance for mystique. Leaving some aspects unexplained would have created a much more fulfilling story, as Fennell fails to leave room for ambiguity. It is also difficult to sympathize with any character in the movie, so the stakes feel underwhelmingly low. Saltburn is worth the watch, but ultimately, The Talented Mr. Ripley tells a much more intriguing story.