While She Was Out

This is what you need to know about this movie, besides the fact that I recommend it as solid thriller: Kim Basinger, suburban mother of 2, lives with abusive husband. On Xmas she decides to go buy some stuff at the mall and while she's out, a series of bad things happen - getting her into serious trouble.

I wouldn't read more before watching the movie. Not because there are any great twists, but because it's worth watching without any, even minor, spoilers. It's also filled with irony - sometimes it reminded me of Predator and Home Alone - being a horror movie only in the sense of the cat-and-mouse game hunt.

In a role that's surprisingly physical, Kim Basinger does a good job as the protagonist. I can't help but remember what Kim went through with her marriage problems and all, and somehow connect this movie as a catharsis of sorts for her.

"While She Was Out" might not be very well-known, but it should, in my opinion. It's a refreshing take on a genre that's been tirelessly explored, and most important of all, fun.

6/10

An abused housewife (Kim Basinger) goes shopping for wrapping paper on Christmas Eve, and finds herself alone and confronted by a gang of thugs who wish to do harm to her. But she finds herself to be stronger than she thought, and fights back.

Right off the bat, I didn't much care for this film. I found Basinger to be the wrong woman for her role, and not particularly good at what she was doing. The story of an abused wife is certainly terrifying in its own way and I felt for her character... but I never found Basinger believable. The box cover quotes a critic raving about her performance, but I just didn't see it.

From there, we run across stereotypes and clichés. Why is this taking place on Christmas Eve? The film is released in April... and do we really need another Christmas movie anyway? We have yet another dead cell phone, pretty much standard in films today. And then we have a woman who is alone in a big city, somehow able to find secluded woods... there's no one around? Really? But let's just ignore these things.

Another critic points out the "politically correct" casting choices for the thugs -- why are they all racially different and lead by the white man? I guess I don't have a problem with this, but I am forced to wonder if the writer consciously thought that it was important to mix the racial makeup of the group. Which is over-thinking the story, really.

The use of the toolbox was a nice touch... others have compared it to Batman's utility belt (I guess Basinger recalls her time as Vicki Vale). I don't know how realistic it is to carry a toolbox along when you're trying to run away silently from thugs, but I can't deny the nice splashes of blood that come from driving tools deep into a bad guy's head. Which, as a horror reviewer, was a nice surprise from the generally more tam "thriller" genre.

Overall, I found the film predictable and not containing the best acting. There are a few memorable scenes and the ending wasn't exactly what I expected... so that's good. I'd say the film might be worth a rental if you want a bit of suspense on a rainy Friday night, but there are better options out there if you really want to be "thrilled".

Considering the cast,you'd expect better with that said..

The opening shot of driving on the road was nauseating,perhaps because the cinematography was horribly shot in low-light.

There was no real back story on the main character,basically she is an abused wife & mom.. We see her go to a mall casually looking around at stuff & a life,she wished that really existed while buying wrapping paper.

Not sticking up for the thugs but the minute she(Della)stuck that poorly worded note on the windshield,you knew that she brought on anything to come.

Also how does a suburban upper class wife & mom,become a survivalist.. Again,what's her backstory.

Than once done after she kills everyone instead of stopping for help she goes home,her car dies & she walks the rest of way.. Once home basically husband is upset for her being away long,not why she was after seeing she had blood or anything & than follows-up"what did you get me?" Where she responds & shoots him.. Roll credits!

Skip this! Was low-quality,full of plot holes & clichés.

Oh my god. the idea that this movie is a thriller is an absolute joke to me. besides the point that it seems to be written by a 5 year old. the plot, the acting and even the props and filming of this movie were all beyond disgrace.

I am not usually this critical about any movie, cause every person has his/her style. But this movie, however, was probably the worst movie i have seen in 2008. I can honestly believe that this movie is unknown, and i think it should stay like this, for movies like these are making the thriller genre a joke.

I advise anyone that is a fan of thriller movies, or even simply movies to stay far away from this one.

Despite the first act being trope after trope for the setup, I really enjoy this one. Personally I think going to a mall on Christmas Eve is horror enough on its own, but this is one of those situations that could happen to anyone. And make no mistake, guys like the antagonists in this movie, bored punks trying to prove how hard they can be or just getting off on harassing women, are literally everywhere, so the situation is highly believable and frankly, terrifying. But what I really like about this one, without blatant spoilers/details, is Della's (Basinger) character growth throughout. She goes from terrified victim of spousal abuse, just trying to put on a brave face for her children and fake it in front of friends, to this horrible situation where she is once again put into the role of victim, now fighting for her life and to get back to her children. As the film goes on we see her go from victim on the run to being forced to defend herself, unwilling to be a victim any longer. It cathartic. As for the details of the events throughout, yes, it sometimes feels a bit over the top and full of tropes and clichés, but guess what, it's a horror thriller, not a documentary.