Beloved cult writer/director Kevin Smith, responsible for “Clerks” and “Dogma”, has been branching out to more serious forms of cinema. His newest release, “Tusk,” is the first entry of a Canadian urban legend horror trilogy. I will say this, film fans: It is important to watch “Tusk” as a Kevin Smith horror movie and not a horror movie directed by Kevin Smith.
Inspired by one of Mr. Smith’s own podcasts, the film revolves around Wallace (Justin Long), a shock-comic podcast host, looking for an interesting story in Canada. Wallace finds himself answering an ad from a lonely, wheelchair-bound old man, Howard (Michael Parks), offering free room and board to anyone willing to listen to the stories of his life over a cup of tea.  These stories soon emerge as a chronicle of his times as a sailor; from smuggling booze for Ernest Hemingway, to reflective moments on the ocean. Sadly, all boats lead to shipwreck for Howard, and he tells us of his most meaningful relationship in life… with a walrus. The story of the tea is also quickly defined as less than not-drugged.
Suddenly, Howard is not the kind, old gentleman we hoped for. Waking up from a drug-induced nap, Wallace finds himself strapped to a wheelchair, minus a leg after being ‘bitten’ by a ‘brown recluse spider’. That is just the beginning of Wallace’s journey to walrushood.
From this point in the film, we start to see the true artistic form to which Kevin Smith and his actors can commit. The beginning of the film is shot and scripted to a degree that you would expect from any story children tell each other while in sleeping bags on a living room floor.
It is choppy and full of kitsch, with quick wit and crude jokes – staples of any Smith film. The shenanigans all lead to Wallace walking up the driveway of Howard’s estate. Here, the camerawork, panning up and out, gets very dramatic and ominous; letting the audience know that this is the last time Wallace will ever be outside.
The plot thickens and the jokes become slightly more sophisticated. Michael Parks’ performance as a mentally deranged mastermind with a deep love for literature and walruses is phenomenal to say the least. He delivers skin crawling monologues that could make you lose your appetite. Long’s performance as a walrus is unmatched as well. Adding to the pot are Haley Joel Osment’s refreshing supporting scenes, and spectacular cameos coming from the likes of Johnny Depp, his daughter, and Kevin Smith’s daughter. The daughters of Depp and Smith are set to be main characters for the second film of the True North Trilogy, “Yoga Hosers,” to be released in the summer of 2015.
Despite the overall mediocre critical reviews calling it overtly grotesque and childish, I see “Tusk” as a great showcase of the storytelling that Smith is capable of achieving. Word is out that the profits from “Tusk” will go directly toward “Clerks III,” after the trilogy of course.
3.5/5 Stars – Rated R