‘Queer’ Movie Review: Daniel Craig’s Bold Performance in Luca Guadagnino’s Adaptation of William S Burroughs’ Novel Impresses Critics
Based on William S Burroughs’ 1985 novel, the film ‘Queer’ has received positive reviews, particularly for Daniel Craig’s standout performance.
Queer, directed by Luca Guadagnino, premiered at the 81st Venice International Film Festival on September 3, competing for the Golden Lion. Based on William S Burroughs’ 1985 novel, the film has received positive reviews, particularly for Daniel Craig’s standout performance. Craig plays William Lee, an American expat in his late forties navigating a lonely life in Mexico City. Things change for Lee with the arrival of a young student named Eugene Allerton, played by Drew Starkey, transforms his isolated world. Venice Film Festival 2024: Brad Pitt and George Clooney Receive 4-Minute Standing Ovation for ‘Wolfs’ - Watch Their Heartfelt Reaction.
Critics are going gaga over Daniel Craig’s performance in the film. Some have even labelled his act as his ‘career best performance’. Let’s take a look at some of the reviews shared by critics on the movie Queer.
Deadline: “Lee both is Burroughs and yet not Burroughs, but the two overlap, notably in the expression of their sexuality. When we meet him, in Chapter One (“How Do You Like Mexico?”), Lee is cruising the city’s bars, lurking on the fringes of the expat scene. Lee’s gay radar is poor, and his predilection for straight guys over the readily available local rent boys almost always leads to rejection.”
The Guardian: “Craig always commands the screen in his regulation honorary consul crumpled white suit, hat, glasses and a pistol that he bizarrely carries around openly holstered, a droll phallic symbol for this erotic cowboy who is very much a lover not a fighter. Craig always commands the screen in his regulation honorary consul crumpled white suit, hat, glasses and a pistol that he bizarrely carries around openly holstered, a droll phallic symbol for this erotic cowboy who is very much a lover not a fighter.”
Screen Rant: “Though Lee appears to live openly, self-loathing courses beneath Craig's performance (among his career best), occasionally peeking out in dialogue. And something about Gene makes him the ultimate fix.”
Variety: “It’s an edgy tale of addiction and also a love story, as Craig, pursuing Drew Starkey's object of desire, infuses Burroughs with a winning vulnerability. Daniel Craig, shifting about a dozen gears from James Bond, doesn’t make the mistake of impersonating the older William Burroughs who became a punk icon in the ’80s: the dry voice, the beady-eyed stare of hostility.”
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 05, 2024 12:13 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).