The Art Of Self-Defense (4 Stars)

There's one thing I can say about Jesse Eisenberg: he has a knack for appearing in off-beat films. I wonder how it happens. Is his agent always looking for unusual film roles? Or is it the casting agents who say, "This is a weird film. Let's ring Jesse Eisenberg"? Whichever way round it is, this is yet another film with a role that nobody but Jesse could have played.

Casey Davies is an insecure man who works as an accountant. He's 431 months old – that has a significance in the film – but he doesn't have a girlfriend. He lives alone with his dog, a cute little dachshund. One evening he's attacked by a motorcycle gang on the way home from buying dog food. He recovers from his injuries, but the worst damage is below the surface. He's afraid to leave his house. He stops going to work, and he only goes out to get food for himself and his dog.

Then he has an idea. He joins a karate class. He's immediately impressed with the charismatic teacher who calls himself Sensei. Casey's fighting skills quickly advance. But he finds that the dojo has dark secrets.

The film is very slow moving. Too slow? It seems like the slow pacing is deliberate. It makes the interspersed action sequences even more shocking. The lack of background music or even background sounds makes the film enthralling. Even though the film is serious, some of the dialogue is so funny that I had to laugh out loud. It's a ridiculous film. It's a film that showcases Jesse Eisenberg's unique abilities.

When the film came to an end my first thought was, "Wow! I need to watch it again!" Okay, I haven't awarded it five stars, because I'm still not sure what to make of it. It's a film that shocked me. Let's see what I think next time.