Let Me Make You a Martyr, written and directed by Corey Asraf and John Swab, is a story of revenge as two adopted siblings, Drew (Niko Nicotera) and June (Sam Quartin), exact a plan to murder their abusive father, Larry (Mark Boone Junior). Framed mostly as a series of flashbacks through Drew’s retelling of their journey, Let Me Make You a Martyr takes viewers through a twisted tale of love and loss in the strangest places.
Let Me Make You a Martyr takes a long time to establish itself and decide what it is. Unlike its predecessor, Judas’ Chariot, Let Me Make You a Martyr doesn’t fully express to viewers what it intends to be until far into the narrative. It’s difficult to initially determine if this is a story of revenge, murder, cohersion, romance, or something else entirely. It’s possible that it’s simply all of these things wrapped into one, but it seems more chaotic than that. It feels as if the filmmakers are unable to pinpoint the direction in which they want to head–and that causes viewers to struggle with the overall scope of the film.
With the film’s slow start, and its inability to develop itself appropriately, Let Me Make You a Martyr fails to attract viewers at an early juncture. Sure, the film begins in medias res, but rather than dropping viewers right in the middle of the action it feels more like a warzone, full-on cinematic and narrative chaos. The beginning comes off as being scattered, and it’s ultimately incapable of reaching audiences. Once the film finds itself and begins to exude some semblance of confidence viewers begin to appreciate the narrative. The film begins to develop somewhere around the thirty-minute mark, and from that point forward I was able to focus on, even care about the characters.
Let Me Make You a Martyr certainly has its flaws, but my biggest issue is the fact that Quartin has a seemingly smaller role than before. She felt very much like the driving force behind the emotion and the content of Judas’ Chariot, and without her being constantly relevant throughout the course of Let Me Make You a Martyr, some of the emotion and relevance was lost on viewers. She has a decent amount of screentime, and the reality is that she is an important part of Drew’s story, but overall she feels like she’s taken a backseat in this film. It’s hard to explain–because I know that Quartin’s June is relevant, but she somehow feels less important in Let Me Make You a Martyr than she did in Judas’ Chariot.
Let Me Make You a Martyr employs some heavy-hitting actors in Marilyn Manson (Pope), Junior, and Michael Potts, and a unique chemistry exists between Manson and an unsuspecting tertiary actor. Manson and Daniel Martin Berkey (Uncle Marvin) have a strangely appealing chemistry that allows the film to both darken and lighten at the same time. Manson’s Pope is very firm, harrowing, and uncomfortable, while Berkey’s Marvin is interestingly lighthearted, quirky, and all-around fun. As the two exchange dialogue, viewers are exposed to something both light and juvenile, and dark and aggressive at the same time–shining light not just on the talents of the two actors but on the capabilities of Asraf and Swab as well.
Realistically Let Me Make You a Martyr doesn’t live up to the standard set by its predecessor, and it ends up feeling unnecessary in the grand scheme of the story. It fails to reach viewers throughout almost its entirety, and those viewers certainly feel a sense of boredom at one point or another throughout its course. There are glimpses of genius hidden in the narrative, and it’s clear that Asraf and Swab have talent as writers and directors–but it doesn’t shine quite as brightly as it needs to here. The acting is phenomenal, and Manson and Berkey end up stealing the show–especially when they are together. Let Me Make You a Martyr can’t quite figure itself out, and I’m afraid that it pales in comparison to its predecessor.
Directed by Corey Asraf & John Swab.
Written by John Swab.
Starring Niko Nicotero, Sam Quartin, Mark Boone Junior, Marilyn Manson, Michael Potts, Daniel Martin Berkey, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/10
Comments