I would pay $15.00 to watch this movie, buy it.

    There's nothing like a good movie about a serious sicko! This movie is a superb rendering of a man revealing his lunacy over the course of a very interesting plot.
    Willard is a man who lives with his fragile, ancient mother. Willard is a man who is constantly tormented by his boss. Willard is a man who has lived a life in the shadow of his father, both before and after his father passed away. Willard is a man who develops the ability to communicate with a horde of rats.
    Willard is played by Crispin Glover, a very strange person who is probably best known for his role as George Douglas McFly in "Back to the Future". As a person, Glover has done such interesting things as sued Stephen Spielberg and directed a movie with all the cast having Down's Syndrome. Glover also collects antique medical equipment.
Glover has made a habit of taking on quirky roles, even menacing ones. In "Willard", Glover manages to pull out all the stops and come across as a convincingly mad character.
    As if Crispin Glover weren't quirky enough, R. Lee Ermey plays Willard's abusive boss. In case you don't know who R. Lee Ermey is, just hearken back to his most famous role, as the drill sergeant in "Full Metal Jacket". I was quite impressed with his acting in "Willard", as he managed to put a great deal of depth into a very 'character' role.
    The basic outline of this movie is that Willard is a social outcast who has had his entire future determined for him. He has no friends, and then he meets a rat. This rat, who Willard names Socrates, becomes Willard's closest friend. Through Socrates, Willard discovers that he can control the other rats. Soon, Willard has an army of rodents at his disposal.
    Meanwhile, another rat named Ben tries to gain Willard's affections. For some reason, Willard spurns Ben. It seems to me that Willard had determined that Socrates was his ONLY friend, and that he could never have another. Two characters in the movie attempt to befriend Willard after he becomes chums with Socrates; Ben and a new girl at work, played by Laura Elena Harring. Neither succeeds and, as the movie progresses, we are brought to the realization that Willard is completely mad, and that the worst monster in the movie is the main character.
    That was my favorite point of this movie. Here is a movie in which there is a horde of rats, including one rather sinister, massive one named Ben. Also in the movie is a nasty man who is trying to take away all of Willard's dignity and possessions.
    Surrounded by these evil monsters, it seems that Willard is a kind and decent young man who is miserable in these conditions. However, it turns out that everybody in this movie is acting according to a natural order of things. The rats are animals and Willard's boss is a businessman, both of which have a system to follow which, moral or not, follows reasonable guidelines.
    Then there is Willard. In his incapacity to deal with the nasty, but still legal, shenanigans which are played out against him by his boss, he decides to strike back. Acting like the morally stunted person that he is, Willard does not play by the rules. Eventually, it proves out that Willard is completely mad, and he drives away the two creatures which are trying to be his friends, Ben and the office girl.
    The breakdown for this movie is easy. The acting is terrific, the direction is outstanding, the suspense is palpable, and "Willard" has one of the most interesting soundtracks I've ever heard. The sets are amazing and the costume design is great. Overall, this movie is the best film I've seen of 2003 so far. I'd suggest this film for anybody who wants a movie that doesn't play down to the audience.