IronWatcher’s review published on Letterboxd:
Watched on Netflix
Last year it was a bit like an advent calendar: on four consecutive days, Netflix added a short film to its program based on a story by Roald Dahl and directed by Wes Anderson. It started with "The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar" about a man who wants to learn an unusual gift so that he can cheat at cards. On the second day, the streaming service released "The Swan", in which a boy is terrorized by two others. This was followed by "The Rat Catcher". And anyone who had seen the two previous works already knew exactly what to expect here. The short films are already very similar.
The third short work is also staged like a kind of play, in which the characters prefer to look into the camera, the perspectives are fixed and the sets and props are not even used as if they were real. The plot is not so much acted out as retold. While last time it was Rupert Friend who told the story in the form of a never-ending monologue, in "The Rat Catcher" this task falls to Richard Ayoade, who previously only had a supporting role. Friend is also back in the game. The same applies to Ralph Fiennes, who played Roald Dahl himself in the first two short films, but this time embodies the title character. Most of the time, at least.
The story is also about such a rat catcher. He is commissioned to deal with the plague and remove the rodents. He does so, and he is well versed and experienced. However, he uses methods that take some getting used to, if not downright disturbing. Without wanting to give too much away in advance, what Dahl tells his audience is bordering on horror. However, Anderson's aforementioned method of not showing these events, but only wrapping them up in text, as was the case with the short story, turns it all into pure mental cinema. At least potentially: those who can get involved with this strange little movie may shudder. Others will certainly sit by and find no access.
Compared to the first two short films, number three is visually the least interesting. There were changes of location in the previous films, and the play with props was also more exciting. In this respect, the appeal here is less, all the more so if you watch the films in chronological order and are therefore already familiar with the tricks. On its own, however, "The Rat Catcher" is also worth seeing and leaves a somewhat stronger impression in terms of content than its direct predecessor. Ralph Fiennes also has a more rewarding role, as his character looks very strange, somewhere between funny and scary. Just as the 17-minute short film alternates between funny and scary.
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