Frank

Yes, we've all seen or at least heard about the show To Catch a Predator. TV crew entices old men to a house in which they think a young girl is waiting. They bring the usual stuff like booze, whipped cream and of course the confused look when they find out that they are on TV. Well, one movie has a similar premise, setting up a pedophile, but instead of a TV crew at the helm, a 14-year-old girl masterminds a plot to get even with a presumed pedophile. It sounds a little out there, doesn't it? I thought the same thing, but that's what makes the 2005 film Hard Candy so intriguing.

I often find myself scouring through my cable's On-Demand feature for a movie that, one, has an interesting title, and two, has a twisted plot. The movies that I enjoy are the ones with no-name actors, bizarre and drug-induced plots that are so unfathomable - a good independent film if you will. Hard Candy, directed by David Slade (the director of the new horror film 30 Days of Night), brings you a mind-twisting plot that keeps the audience guessing what is going to happen next, while, of course, grimacing and wincing at the same time.

The viewer gets to know two characters intimately, partly because these are pretty much the only two you see during the entire film. The 14-year-old girl, Hayley Stark, played by Ellen Page, and a man in his mid 30's named Jeff Kohlver, played by Patrick Wilson. The two meet on the Internet, and then decide to meet at a local café, at which time Jeff realizes that he really shouldn't be there because he's starting to realize that the age difference should be recognized. At this point, Hayley takes her advance to the next level and makes it a point to go to Jeff's house afterwards. Jeff, knowing better but going against his conscience, agrees, and now it's time to let the mind games begin!

This is where the viewer now sees the 14-year-old girl, not as an innocent, soon-to-be victim of a pedophile, but as a devious being that is looking to get back at a man that has intentions of sleeping with a young girl. Hayley, who apparently has this whole thing planned out, makes Jeff vulnerable by graciously giving him tainted drinks. When he wakes up form his alcohol-induced coma, he finds himself tied up. Hayley then makes it clear she has him tied up for one reason. She has intentions of performing a surgical procedure on him to try to ensure he won't stalk little girls anymore. You know, the type of procedure that clips the family jewels. Does she go through with it? It's worth checking out, so is the ending that lets the pedophile choose between death and living with the permanent identity as a pedophile. I bet ol' Jeff wishes he didn't try to tempt little girls.

This movie hits some extremes that I have never experienced before. A plot based around a little girl tempting a supposed pedophile for the purpose of justice? Really a backwards plot from the norm. You want to cheer for her, but at the same time you have to ask yourself if she is just as screwed up as he is? These dynamic, I mean real DYNAMIC, characters are the key to the movie. Since there were only two characters that the audience gets to know, the writers did a masterful job of revealing them. The plot twists will keep you guessing just to the end. If sick and twisted movies are your forte, then this movie should be on your to-see list.