The Invitation

Six friends (and a dog) each harboring a deep dark secret (minus the dog, of course) are invited to an old friend, Roland's (Lance Henriksen), secluded island retreat. Where they are promptly poisoned via wine at dinner. Seems Roland had experienced a near-death life-changing experience when he unknowingly drank poison while traveling abroad, and he wishes to share this 'gift' with the others in order to free them of their inner demons. But as one by one they start dropping dead, is his reasoning truly sound?

Henrikson is a magnificent actor who has been in some dreadful films (Pumpkinhead 3, the Mangler, etcetera) but with even a mediocre script, he can and does take the ball and run with it. Here he pulls off a pretty good performance, sadly however the rest of the cast can't hope to excel and pale in comparison. The movie itself is good enough until it devolves before your eyes into something akin to a Made-For-Lifetime TV movie. (you'll understand after watching it) But it still kept my interest for the most part, thanks in no small part to Lance.

My Grade: C-

Didn't know what this was about. Radom click on Netflix. It was a shock to watch the story unfold and the last scene was really a surprise. It was unsettling and indicative of a world gone a bit wild. Like the one we live in now. Up is down. In is out and yes is no. I like movie makers who take risks.

Do not be fooled by the poster and cover art or by the trailer for this film, it is not a horror film. It is a morality play, and a pretty intriguing one at that.

The basic plotline: Roland (Henriksen) invites his six best friends to his island estate for a getaway. He tricks them into taking a poison and tells them that the only way he will give them the antidote is if they tell their greatest secrets, if they atone for their sins.

This film is actually quite well done, with the characters each struggling with their own demons, wondering whether their secrets are worth dying for. Henriksen is excellent as always, and relative unknowns Christopher Shyer (Joel) and David Livingstone (John) stand out from the rest of the cast by giving fantastic performances.

The Invitation is not a horror film by any stretch of the imagination, but it is a very intriguing morality play with solid acting from an ensemble cast of anonymous unknowns, with the exception of Henriksen. Well worth a watch. 7/10.

I really liked this movie. It was not the best movie I have ever seen, but it did move me more than any movie has in a long time. The acting was for the most part very good, especially on the part of Lance Henrickson. When is he ever bad?

I have read some negative comments,but it seems obvious the author of those comments weren't really paying attention to, nor did they watch all of, this movie. They would have found the answers they were looking for if they had.

It's the kind of movie that makes you think. It makes you wonder if the secrets you hold inside are preventing you from enjoying life the way you should. It also makes you wonder if the people in your life who seem so closed off emotionally are only afraid of revealing their own secrets.

When reading Lance Henriksen's biography "Not bad for a human" (Highly recommended btw), I was sure to make some discoveries here and there. Amongst the more obscure titles was "The invitation", though he talks about it in high praise. He does in fact note that the American DVD Cover leads you on a wrong track, giving the vibe of a cheap horror flick. Well, it isn't. It's a film with less of a narrative structure, but analyzing its characters piece by piece. As the story progresses, a lot of background stories are thrown in. Not to explain you everything in detail, but enough for you to puzzle together the pieces about everyone's motivation and intentions. Produced by a noticeable small budget, the locations are limited and the cinematography is spare, yet creative. But that's not the focus anyway.

What drive me to it, was the reference to the Millennium series. And while the plot and style of the film differs to a great extend, there are certain scenes which give you that unnerving and surreal atmosphere. It's one of the rare experiences where you cannot predict what's coming next.

I doubt a lot of people will discover this film and I doubt a lot of people will get into it. It's no life-changing experience whatsoever but if you are willing to expose yourself to it's rough premise, you'll get one of Lance's finer performances and a film that will surprise you and make you reflect. It echoed with me still days after I watched it.