Silk (2006) Review

Disclaimer: Contains spoilers!

Plot Summary: A special agent assists a group of researchers seeking to harness the energy of ghosts.

Review: The thing I always liked about this movie was that it tried to address horror tropes from a sci-fi perspective. Of course, the film does introduce a Kayako clone, but I don't think they were aiming for raw scares. If anything, "Silk" is more fixated on intrigue and trying to get the viewer thinking. There is certainly a sense of originality to the story, and I could never ignore the abundance of babes at every turn. However, the main problem that stops this film from entering classic status is that there is a sensation of hollowness to the experience. This isn't to say that the story unto itself is weak--it's more along the lines of watching a long episode of TV show. It's hard to explain, but the film does work as a standalone entry while simultaneously not...if that makes sense. The story is complete, yet, the narrative structure is not right for fleshing out the themes or characters. Realistically, "Silk" would have worked better as a side adventure of the main character, Tung. You'd have to see "Silk" for yourself to fully appreciate what I'm getting at, but, suffice it to say, Tung is designed to be something between a superhero and a Jason Bourne type.

So what works with "Silk" is the manner in which the story addresses how ghosts can exist and why. The researchers studying the main ghost--that is like our Toshio equivalent--explain to Tung such things as why most people don't become ghosts while others can become a Kayako and Toshio type. They deal with that notion of ghosts seeing what they want to see and why they can interact physically with the world on occasion. Essentially, all the things we've seen in horror movies, or generic ghost lore outright, is explained away through talk about infinite energy and energy tethers of a sort. I'm not saying it's perfect or everything makes sense, but it's a fun take on the subject matter and a great starting premise.

Since the ghosts cannot create sound conveniently, the researchers need help from Tung. Now, don't get me wrong, Tung is a cool character but he's presented as if we already know him. This would be fine if this were the latest installment in The Adventures of Tung, but that's not what this is. More or less, Tung is a super cop who can read lips and see things most wouldn't. On top of that, he's supposed to be a badass who doesn't bat an eye when blowing away a crazed terrorist and might be the first person to snipe a ghost. Unfortunately, Tung, as well as all the main characters, are not fleshed out despite the running time being adequately allotted. It's like the filmmakers had too many good ideas at once that they couldn't figure out what to prioritize. To their credit, they don't fuck it up...they simply create this vibe that we are walking into a story already long into motion. This is why I say it feels like a TV show episode. As if in the last couple episodes we already dealt with Tung's mom dying and his hesitation to marry his girlfriend.  I don't know, dude, but the narrative structure is improper somehow to say the least.

"Silk" does have thrilling moments, but I would say it leans closer to sci-fi than horror. If you're looking for scares you will mostly be disappointed; though, there are still creepy moments like the opening scene. Instead, what makes this film work is watching Tung try to deal with the mystery surrounding the ghost and seeing the events unfold in a satisfying way. The ending is a bit rushed and lacking full closure, however, it's not a situation where it hurts the final impression. There are shitty effects worth acknowledging yet there are many great effects too. Go figure. Overall, I do think "Silk" is worth checking out regardless of its shortcomings.

Notable Moment: When Tung's car flips. Ignoring that our Kayako clone should not have been subject to the car's momentum--oh god, what an atrocious effect. The director should have cut or faded to black and left the accident implied rather than inserting such an unusable shot.

Final Rating: 6/10