Very Bad Things are about to happen to these ordinary people.
From very early on you know that Very Bad Things is not going to be a very typical film. It starts with a lively, slightly nervous sequence of a prelude to a wedding. Then it flashes back to the groom's wild bachelor party in Las Vegas. There we witness these average suburban guys accidentally kill a prostitute and then murder a security guard to cover up the first death. What's unusual is the way first time director Peter Berg chooses to depict the murder. He shows the men outside the bathroom and blocking the door so that the fatally wounded security guard can't get out. Then we hear the pathetic pleadings of the guard, yet none of the men do anything to help. It's a disturbing scene and believe it or not it's in a film that can accurately be labeled a comedy (albeit a dark one). By shooting the scene in this manner, Berg reveals that he's not going to pull any punches or look for any easy ways out. And unlike most films that head down this dark path, Very Bad Things actually has the nerve to stay true to its dark nature and not cop out to any Hollywood pressure to make a feel good movie.
