Thomas’s review published on Letterboxd:
From what I´ve heard about “Saltburn”, people argue if it´s weird in a good way or weird in a bad way. Well, I´m just sitting here thinking it´s not weird enough and more importantly, it´s not purposefully weird. Sure, if the film is your first contact with “shock cinema”, it might seem daring and “transgressive”, but personally, I found the provocations tame, empty, unearned, and desperate. The movie is too insecure, overstuffed, messy, and aimless to be as edgy as it clearly wants to be. I always appreciate a nude dance scene, though.
I like “Saltburn” well enough as a lurid, pulpy, and psychosexual dark comedy about excess, obsession, and seduction with a cast of attractive people acting silly and some not-so-subtle gothic vibes but as a class satire and conman film, it falls flat for me. There is no coherent let alone insightful thesis behind the commentary and my reaction to the “twist” was basically, “Yeah, I´ve seen the movie. Why are you acting like I´m supposed to be surprised?”.
What the film has going for it are its aesthetically pleasing visual direction with many gorgeously composed shots and the outstanding cast. I hope that Barry Keoghan will someday escape his typecasting as “The Weirdo” but man, he plays this role with an intense physical presence that carries almost the entire movie. Jacob Elordi and Rosamund Pike also leave strong impressions. Though it has to be said that all the characters are fun to watch yet at the same time too cartoonish to care about them.
The great cast, pretty visuals, and amusing pulpy silliness prevent me from rating “Saltburn” lower than 3 stars, although it has its fair share of flaws. There is a fun, goofy movie in this that could have been 90-100 minutes long rather than 131 minutes.
I know it was 18 years ago, but my brain still can´t accept the year 2006 as a period piece setting.
