Review of The Ring (U.S. Version)

     The luminous Naomi Watts, looking gorgeous as ever, is cast here as whipsmart reporter Rachel Keller. We get little insight into her actual job other than an early scene in which she actually denies her boss when he tries to fire her. She is cranky, upset and pushy for no apparent reason. Is she mad at her parents? Has she been given a slight by her superiors at work? We never learn, although it does become apparent that she is less than comfortable with her ex Noah (Martin Henderson), who has left her with a moody, distressed child, Aidan (David Dorfman).

     The story begins with the sudden death of Rachel’s niece (in a predictable, mildly self-referential but still jarring opening), leaving young Aidan without a playmate. Poor mom’s always working (which we never do see) and there is no father around. During some ill-advised investigation, Rachel discovers several other deaths that can be linked to the niece’s "heart failure." It turns out that a week before the deaths, the girl and a few of her friends had accidentally watched a mysterious tape, followed by a phone call notifying them of their upcoming deaths.

     And quite the tape it is. It’s packed to the brim with borderline chilling stuff, some odd imagery and screeching sounds. It does get to you, but unfortunately, we see the tape several more times throughout the film, so it never regains its ability to chill and in fact becomes a rather rote plot device.

     Of course, it’s a given that yes, Rachel watches the tape. Yes, Rachel receives a phone call. Yes, Rachel is doomed. However, what follows is the investigation. Rachel begins to absorb the tape. She investigates certain inconsistencies, and tries to puzzle the mystery together. What the audience don’t realize is that our protagonist is probably not in any danger for the next full six days. We are not allowed to relax, however, because those days are jam-packed with eerie occurrences, harbingers of doom.

     Director Gore Verbinski is building a solid resume. He made the oddball "Mouse Hunt" into a surprise hit, was able to wrangle Julia Roberts and Brad Pitt in "The Mexican" and is lined up for a Jerry Bruckheimer-produced, star studded film version of "Pirates of the Caribbean". He’s at the top of his game here. It’s a very difficult balancing act, this film, because it has to be eerie and frightening, but also accessible to the audience. While there is only investigation between the viewing of the tape and the final showdown, Verbinski does not let up on the atmosphere. Every scene has a chilling vibrato, an aura that cannot be shaken simply by walking out of the theater. There is one meticulous scene where Rachel walks out on someone watching the video and onto the balcony of a hotel. As the dark sky throbs above her, she looks casually into the windows of other apartments. It seems that everyone’s lives are being placated by television, and they are all happy about it. It chills her to think of the pain caused by this video, and yet how happily detached we are from modern life because of video, because of television.

     "The Ring" moves at a creep-inducing pace, a wonderful clip sure to engage the heavy horror fan, but also pleasingly enticing for the jaded average filmgoer with little patience for collecting of dread. While there are many explanations needed for the film’s convoluted, explanation-packed ending, "The Ring" has more legit scares than many films of recent memory.

Editors note: Thanks to Gabe Toro for a fantastic Review.