This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the movie being covered here wouldn’t exist.
Wes Anderson’s Roald Dahl short story adaptations are continuing on with the September 29th release of The Rat Catcher.
The film, as its name foretells, gives us the story of a local rat catcher (Ralph Fiennes), an in-demand tradesman in the times the story takes place, who is brought out to a local mechanic shop to take care of a rat problem they have. When he arrives, though, he brings the mechanic (Rupert Friend) and the reporter (Richard Ayoade) more than they bargained for.
What impressed me the most with this short story is just how incredibly well Anderson and Fiennes are able to capture the creepy and unsettling nature of the rat catcher himself. In a short 17 minutes, the two-through excellent filmography and even better performance-are able to give so much more to the character than what’s on screen. I felt like I actually knew the rat catcher, his story and life all within minutes of meeting him.
Plus, it helps that he looks downright gross, an effect they were no doubt going for with the character.
Fiennes in particular is excellent and gives an incredible performance, one which should earn him an award nomination if only short film acting were recognized more.
The issues that plagued the previous adaptation by Wes Anderson, The Swan, do not trouble here. There is plenty of dialogue and interaction between the characters, something this story definitely warranted. With that, though, we still get to see the stage-play style and story narration that Anderson is going for with these short films. And it continues to work well here.
While I have been enjoying these strict adaptations, I do wish there was more to the story. As great as a faithful retelling of the source material is, I felt like I wanted to see so much more from the characters and this intriguing story. I also wish that Anderson allowed for more physical interaction with various objects, rather than leaving much up to the imagination. There is a moment that Fiennes’ rat catcher pulls a rat and a ferret from out of his pocket. Yet, on screen, he is holding nothing. The audience is meant to imagine they are there, but I would’ve much rather have seen it. I know the stage-play effect he is going for limits that, but I feel it would have connected better should these things be present.
Final Thoughts
The Rat Catcher is more enjoyable than the previous Roald Dahl adaptation by Wes Anderson. And at a mere 17 minutes, it’s easily digestible too. While it doesn’t quite live up to the lofty expectations set by The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, it does hold its own and is a fun little watch when you have a moment of time to spend.
3.5/5
This review is the third in a series of reviews for Wes Anderson’s Roald Dahl adaptations released from September 27-30, 2023. To read the other reviews, click HERE. To check out more of our reviews, click here.
