By Stephen Pytak 

     I didn't see the original. However, I'd really like to.
     I didn't see the sequel, "Ben (1972)," either. 
     Actually, I'm not a big fan of rat movies. It's not 
that I'm afraid of rats or anything like that. It's just 
that I never heard of any that really delivered. 
     But when I heard the "Willard" remake was 
coming out, I just couldn't resist it.
	The reason why was the actor in the lead, Crispin
Glover.
     The guy has a talent for taking bit parts and 
making them memorable ones. I loved his interpre-
tation of Andy Warhol in Oliver Stone's "The Doors 
(1991)."I got a chuckle when I saw him as Hustler 
staff member "Arlo" in "The People vs. Larry Flynt 
(1996)." When I got stuck going to see "Charlie's 
Angels (2000)" I was thrilled when he popped up as 
"The Thin Man."
     When I heard he was going to step into Willard's 
shoes, I made sure I got to the theater on the first 
weekend. I wasn't this excited about seeing a 
character performance in a horror film since Anthony 
Perkins made his return as Norman Bates in "Psycho 
II (1982)."
     I wasn't disappointed.
     His Willard is a loner who lives in a big house with 
his ailing mother. The old home is filled with old 
pictures, shadows and dust. And something else. 
When the mother hears noises in the basement, she 
orders her son to buy rat traps.
     He does. And he eventually catches a white rodent 
with a sticky strip. But instead of killing the critter as 
it tries and tries to scurry away, Willard picks it up, 
washes it off and makes a friend. He names the mouse 
"Socrates." 
     Glover's Willard never says why he spared the rat. 
But it's apparent as he cuddles the creature and uses 
his comb on the mouse's cowlick.  In the mouse, he 
saw himself, something small, seemingly harmless and 
seemingly unimportant.
     Willard works for a prick, "Frank Martin (Ermey)" 
who considers him vermin.
     If you thought Ermey's drill sergeant in Kubrick's 
"Full Metal Jacket (1987)" was a real bastard, you 
ain't seen nothin' yet. Don't bring a gun to "Willard." 
You'll put a hole in the screen when Ermey starts 
shouting.
     Martin is running the company Willard's late 
father founded. And while Willard slaves over a desk, 
this slave driver brags about the new sports car he 
bought. But what's worse is he starts humiliating 
Willard at the office when the boy is late for work. And 
that's when the trouble starts.
     Willard finds that Socrates has friends. He 
befriends these rats, feeds them and trains them to 
bite and tear at newspapers and tires. The biggest of 
the bunch is a black rat who Willard names after his 
alarm clock, "Big Ben."
     The friendship between Willard and the rats has its 
ups and downs. And the politics of their relationship 
is the center of the drama.
     Willard wants the rats to help him get revenge on 
his boss.
     But the rats have demands as well, Ben in 
particular.
     The real stars of the picture for me were Glover 
and Ben.
     Glover's performance is a fascinating portrait of 
introversion. 
     There's hardly a line of dialog in the first few 
minutes of this film, when Willard is setting the traps. 
But you won't notice. You'll just fix on Glover's face 
and take in all the creative eye movements and 
twitches that express his frustration.
     Later, when he sees his world crumbling right 
before his eyes, he cuts loose with tears, shakes and 
screams. You can feel the man's shell cracking.
     When he sets the rats loose, you'll smile, just like 
he does. Maybe you'll even cheer.
     The big black rat has quite a presence. And I 
guess I should credit the director for that.
     Ben has that "Darth Vader" kind of look. He's not 
tall, but he always finds some kind of perch so he can 
look down on Willard. He also has a stance like a 
gunfighter at high noon. I swear I heard the thing 
growl at one point during the movie. Or maybe the 
rat actually did say something. Ben was so intense; 
I wouldn't be surprised if he did. 
     The movie has a number of memorable moments. 
There's one with a cat. And I won't say any more 
about that. Just go see the film and let it happen.
     The song "Ben," by Michael Jackson, which 
appeared in the 1972 film about the rat, is in the 
film twice. The original version is heard once during 
the film. And a remake by Glover plays over the 
credits. 
     There's also a music video for that tune which 
Glover directed. You can find it if you log onto 
www.willardmovie.com. It's hilarious. It features 
Glover's Willard and the big black rat, Ben, on a 
stage. Women in lingerie and a bunch of rodents 
surround them.
     "Willard" is a fun thriller. 
     I wouldn't call it a horror film because it's not a 
gore fest and it's not scary. One reviewer compared 
the film to Hitchcock's works. I can't. That's not 
what I got out of it.
     When I bought the ticket, I was hoping for 
unusual characters and intense drama.
     Glover delivered.
     So did the rats.
     Both deserve a little more than cheese.