Mousehunt

Two words baby, GORE VERBINSKI! Here is the film debut of one of my current favorite directors and it is a beauty. Simple story, two brothers inherit a run down factory and old house after their father passes. In the old house they meet the mouse of all mice and this is when the sadistic slapstick fun begins. Nathan Lane and Lee Evans are suprb in the leading roles, so much so I think it's the best work of their respective careers and in the case of Lane that is really saying something. Christopher Walken has an amazing bit part as an exterminator and veterans Ian Abercrombie and Maury Chaykin turn in nice cameos. Speaking of nice cameos, William Hickey has one of the best, a portrait of daddy Smuntz seen throughout the film. Then there is the mouse! A combination of live footage, puppets, mechanics from Stan Winston studios and CGI bring to life this creature with such perfection it is stunning and under Verbinski's watchful eye the results are mindboggling. Verbinski, who would go on to direct THE RING and PIRATES OF THE CARRIBEAN trilogy has the eye to die for here and working with a script by Adam Rifkin he gives us a heart warmer for all ages. Not to be missed!