Rattlesnake

I'm not sure why Netflix decided to pick up (and make a Netflix exclusive) this low budget thriller. It's not a terrible effort, but I could see much more wasted potential than what the movie actually grabbed on and used. It gets to an okay start, having a little atmosphere and not taking too long to set up the situation the female heroine finds herself in. However, after that point, the movie quickly gets bogged down. Though the heroine is racing against time, I couldn't get that feeling at all - there is no feeling of tension or speed, and the heroine seems to be taking the situation more calmly than I think anyone else in her shoes would be feeling. The situation also feels too stretched out for its own good, even though the movie only has a running time of 85 minutes. As for the ending, I won't spoil what happens in the climax or conclusion, but I will say that I had a strong feeling of dissatisfaction from these final few minutes; there are a number of unanswered questions as well as future potential problems for the heroine that simply are not resolved. I guessed the movie is fairly well produced for its very low budget, but I would have accepted a less slick look for a stronger atmosphere and more suspense.

A lot of low budget horror movies end up just like RATTLESNAKE. They stretch the story and the viewer's patience as best they can to reach that full feature length when they really should have remained a leaner 30-minute short in a horror anthology of sorts. There's a pretty good set-up that winds up spinning its wheels for 50 minutes or so until it reaches its underwhelming finale. You barely get to know the main characters or the evil behind the driving force of the story. Hildiitch's adaptation of SK's 1922 for Netflix got a boost from an almost unrecognizable Thomas Jane in the lead. Ejogo's performance feels, for lack of a better work, lacking. While I didn't hate what I was viewing, I sure didn't like checking my watch every 5 minutes either.

Its not bad. Decently paced thriller keeps you watching as there's so many variations of what could happen next it keeps you guessing. Atmosphere is pretty good and the lead actress does a good job. Don't get me wrong there is no Oscar winners here but for an hour and a half at home with your feet up it will keep you entertained.

Rattlesnake has a great concept. A women gets a puncture and while fixing it her daughter gets bitten by a rattlesnake. Suddenly a trailer appeared and a women cures the bite and says she will talk about payment later. Payment it turns out is she must replace her life with the life of another or her daughter will die as payment has not been met.

So the concept is great, any artform which makes you think what would I do and helps you empathise with the characters is usually on to s winner but that's where it starts to be let down. It's right here where some amazing philosophical debates could start to begin. Could you find someone evil and feel ok about killing them when there is an opportunity that this person could change in the future and positively impact others? Is it right you should take the life of another when fatalists and people of religion may say you are going against god's plan. Or is it ok to take the life of someone seriously ill when there may be opportunity of miraculous recovery you are taking away. All these a brilliant film would make but it doesn't explore or question the situation at all, there is only acceptense. It's a shame really, opportunity lost.

Rattlesnake was not the worst movie Netflix has attached their name to yet. This movie is definitely one to add to your list and watch when you simply can't find anything else interesting to watch. The acting is weak, the script is boring and the movie is lonnngggg! Oh wait, it's not! It is only an hour and a half long - but feels like 2 and a half.

It had a lot of potential but failed. It did you get thinking about many different scenarios, outcomes, questions in general. It doesn't however give you a final answer - nor does it really try to make you wonder if she's not right in the head, is the town cursed, was she seeing things, could this be legit, did the daughter actually get bit? Nothing! It just sort of ends...

Worth a watch if you're bored - but there's plenty of movies to waste your time on that are much better than this one.