The Bad Guys: It’s Actually Really Good
The Bad Guys (2022)
Directed by Pierre Perifel
Starring Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron, Awkwafina, Craig Robinson
Training, training, habituation, craft. Skill in art. So many first-time directors are described as “coming out of nowhere” or “taking the industry by storm,” as if it’s a random event. But there are patterns in the weather that tell us a storm is coming, and there are patterns in art that signal the arrival of meaningful excellence. Pierre Perifel, for instance, didn’t appear out of thin air. He’s been working as an animator since 2005, starting with Curious George (2006), followed by the Kung Fu Panda series, and eventually taking the lead character animator role in Rise of the Guardians (2012).
For his directorial debut, Pierre adapted The Bad Guys, based on Aaron Blabey’s children’s book series. As you’ve undoubtedly read my review of Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2023), I’ll skip rehashing my praise of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) and its boundary-breaking animation. But films like The Bad Guys owe a debt to the risk Sony took, and my hope is that this trend of innovative animation continues. The ever-evolving influences and styles in The Bad Guys flow effortlessly, without detracting from its heartwarming and fun story.
Sam Rockwell voices Wolf, the leader of the bad guys, with his signature coolness. His heist partners contrast this with varying degrees of quirk and anxiety. Marc Maron as Snake and Awkwafina as Tarantula are standouts, but the rest of the cast, including Anthony Ramos, Craig Robinson, and Zazie Beetz, also shine.
The film really takes off when Wolf’s cool confidence starts to falter, and he’s hit with a wave of self-doubt. Could his life as a confident criminal have been for nothing? Is there something better out there—like doing the right thing? Drawing on the foundations of classic heist films like The Killing (1956), Reservoir Dogs (1992), and Heat (1995), while keeping the humor accessible for a younger audience, The Bad Guys feels like a love letter to cinema, not just another cash grab in animated form. There’s a humanity to each of our “bad guys,” which shines through in the excellent character design and voice performances.
I can’t wait for a sequel—hopefully again directed by Pierre Perifel, whose shift from “just” an animator to director has given us one of this decade’s best animated features. I consider it quality art.
If Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish are A+ and A- respectively, then this debut from Pierre Perifel earns a solid B.