It's a shame how easily this could've been so much better.
Think of this being a low-budget upstate NYC James Bond B-grade film. It had all the right elements to make it work, but failed in the screenplay - that with minor tweaks, could've been awesome.
Directing by Brad Turner was great, as was the cinematography. Even the score for a B film was good. The set locations were excellent (loved the house tech). The casting was great, and the performances, although somewhat flat, worked well in creating tension and suspense.
The 85 min runtime flew by, even with the somewhat slow pacing, in part from the perfect scene lengths, decent action, and story progression. I would've liked another 15-20 mins of action and character clarity, as well for some parts of the story, along with a little faster pacing.
The story's premise, although nothing new, still worked well by creating a well balanced focus on both the protagonist and the antagonist. But there were just too many unfulfilled and convoluted plot and technical issues, as well as these random characters popping in scenes with zero character background e.g. The school teacher.
I'm guessing writer Michael Vickerman was trying to create some type of vague character and sub-plot backgrounds that would be exploited in a part 2 of this film, but went overboard with the vagueness to the point you'll feel underwhelmed and wanting more by the end.
Overall, I actually enjoyed this film more than I thought, and although it wasn't a huge box-office success, I do hope they come out with a part 2. If you like this genre, it's a decent one-time watch on a "Popcorn & Movie Sunday".
Directing by Brad Turner was great, as was the cinematography. Even the score for a B film was good. The set locations were excellent (loved the house tech). The casting was great, and the performances, although somewhat flat, worked well in creating tension and suspense.
The 85 min runtime flew by, even with the somewhat slow pacing, in part from the perfect scene lengths, decent action, and story progression. I would've liked another 15-20 mins of action and character clarity, as well for some parts of the story, along with a little faster pacing.
The story's premise, although nothing new, still worked well by creating a well balanced focus on both the protagonist and the antagonist. But there were just too many unfulfilled and convoluted plot and technical issues, as well as these random characters popping in scenes with zero character background e.g. The school teacher.
I'm guessing writer Michael Vickerman was trying to create some type of vague character and sub-plot backgrounds that would be exploited in a part 2 of this film, but went overboard with the vagueness to the point you'll feel underwhelmed and wanting more by the end.
Overall, I actually enjoyed this film more than I thought, and although it wasn't a huge box-office success, I do hope they come out with a part 2. If you like this genre, it's a decent one-time watch on a "Popcorn & Movie Sunday".
- Top_Dawg_Critic
- 25 apr 2021