While Baruh isn't strong with introductions, he's reasonably good with payoffs, generating a whirlwind of strangeness that saves the viewing experience.
Baruh may have bitten off more than he can chew for his first feature. That said, the practical effects, blood-soaked kills, and devilish grin of the always brilliant Crampton were enough for me to walk out smiling.
Applecart's broad satire, retro approach to its central threat, and engaged performances are prizes to be mined from this endeavor, an 86-minute breath of fresh air in a landscape full of thuddingly serious fare.
It has a couple of interesting ideas, a certain degree of style and one impressive performance but never manages to pull them together into a cohesive or satisfying whole.