Spoiler Warning: This review features narrative spoilers throughout the text and goes into detail about the ending of the film.
"Brother. Life's a bitch, and she's back in heat."
John Carpenter, horror maestro, delivered yet another cult classic with They Live. This may not have the immediate recognition of Halloween, nor the perfect structure like The Thing. However, what it does have, in spades, is a sincere coolness. I knew about all of the film’s iconography before I had even seen it, a good signifier of a film that remains culturally imperative.
I think it’s important to start by saying that this has a couple of very identifiable issues. The opening act serves a purpose; its remote soberness is a stark parallel to the insanity that ensues from the second act. However, it is also full of uninteresting diversions from the eventual hook. It takes its time to really begin moving in a direction that truly captivates you, and whilst I love the variation between the first third and the rest of the film, I’d be lying if I said it’s all necessary. There’s some insubstantial dialogue here and there, but the intention of the film is not to be a literary masterpiece.
Indeed, They Live is a political satire in the guise of an ultra-dynamic thriller. The moment that Roddy Piper, our nomadic protagonist, puts on those glasses, it’s all killer, no filler. The first scene where he tries the glasses on is one of the most beautifully made in the entire film. The seamless edits from what he sees with the glasses to without the glasses is perhaps the best example of visual storytelling I have ever seen. The billboards and TV screens full of mainstream duties remain iconic to this very day. The wonderfully thought out blocking that takes place when we eventually see the formaldehyde-face of the first ghoul is absolutely masterful. Carpenter never misses a beat with his early work, and this is no different.
Perhaps the most important aspect of the film is its political ideas. I absolutely love the lack of subtlety when it comes to naming the elite who perpetuate the struggle of the lower classes. Carpenter obviously cannot literally show Ronald Reagan as one of the ghouls, but he gets about as close as you can. The Reaganite obsession with capital floods this film, and Carpenter is hell-bent on destroying it any way he can. The paradigm is apparent. The six-minute fight sequence between Piper and David is representative of the lower classes battling each other, rather than the 1% (it also helps the film that the scene is brutally entertaining). The battle is not an easy one, but by the end of the film, the sacrifices of the few benefit the many and the rigid system that restricts normal people is completely uncovered by one simple action. Yes, it kills the lead character; perhaps an allegory for Carpenter, who may have felt he’d never make another film again once this was released. Yet, the message is so anti-establishment that it was always going to gain some love.
They Live is one of the best hidden political films of all time. The action is fantastic. Carpenter’s score adds such colourful accents to every scene. This may not be the most well-acted film to ever exist, but its budgetary constraints do not halt the message one bit. It is a totally bizarre adventure, with very quotable dialogue and scenes that were stuck in my mind long before I watched it. An icon of 1980s American cinema.
Connor Clarke Film 