This film has been on my "to-see" list for quite some time. The trailer interested me, the synopsis was... interesting, and the cast was... well... interesting. But to say any one thing just said 'MUST SEE', no. That didn't happen. Instead it took a long and frustrating day that wound down into a mess of being bored and irritated for me to just flick this on, on impulse. Wow. Nothing could have prepared me for this movie.
I'll get the synopsis and stuff out of the way before I start spoiling things for the people who don't like to be surprised, only intrigued instead. The movie starts with a man on the run, we presume he's a criminal. Before long, our suspicious are put to rest. His face is on the news as a bank robber, of course we know now that this is the bad guy. His foot is bleeding and he's on the run from the law. He's going door to door trying to lie his way in to use a phone, and possibly scam out a place to stay for the night. It seems pretty simple enough yeah?
Anyway, he finally finds one guy's house, gleans a bit of helpful information from raiding his mailbox and cons his way inside. Its some of the most tense and suspenseful scenes I've seen in a movie in a long time. Moreso if you've read the back of the DVD case. You know that this bank robber... just went from the frying pan and into the fire. He's clearly invaded the wrong house.
But not in the typical sense, its not some guy fighting back to protect himself, its entirely different. Theres a line where the man in the house tells the bank robber, who's pretending to know his friend 'Julia', "-you'll be captivated!". I couldn't help but think to myself, 'captive' is more like it. I wasn't too far off. But if you think thats telling too much, then you're in for one hell of a ride. I could not predict this movie.
If for no other reason to see it, see it for its unpredictability. Which is due in no small part to a hauntingly brilliant performance by David Hyde Pierce. He breaths a sick life into his character and injects the film with a healthy dose of dark in-your-face humor. Its not funny. But you can't help but laugh at the absurdity of what you're seeing sometimes. Mind you, its all intentional. Now if you don't want the ins and outs of this clever and amazingly written thriller spoiled for you, just stop reading, take my word on how good it is, and go see it. Find it. Seek it out. Its worth it.
If you're still reading, then you're ready for any and all twists to be spoiled from here on out. No bitching about it. Although, even you people who'd like it all handed to them won't get it from me. Just fair warning for the anti-spoiler freaks. The movie does backflips around everything you think you know about these characters.
When it starts you know this bank robber is the bad guy. How can he not be? He's threatening, cunning, deceptive, and very dangerous. And clearly we know he robbed a bank. Thats where this movie reveals its subtle brilliance, in how it reverses our perceptions of the characters. The good samaritan who lets this hurt and bleeding man into his home, is actually satan. Nevermind about this bank robber and the stuff he's done, for which he even has a sympathetic reason for, this "good samaritan" is a true psychopath. The likes of which is rare to see so wonderfully captured on film. Its creepy. Its funny. Its downright horrifying. And then the movie will throw you another twist.
For each one, each twist, I was terribly unprepared. I cannot reccomend this movie enough to people who can appreciate 'A Clockwork Orange', 'Se7en' and the like. Its just brilliant. See it.
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