No One Lives

I wasn't expecting much based on all the recent horror movies I have seen that are lacking that special something, but I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this movie. Some of the acting could have been better, but overall I thought this was a fun, gory thriller. Definitely worth a watch.

One of those modern-day 'grindhouse' style movies, full of unpleasant violence meted out to innocent people and even more unpleasant violence meted out to those who deserve it. This one is a fast-paced, action packed tale of small-time gangsters, kidnappers and serial killers, and the title is an apt one; it's the kind of nihilistic fare where nobody is likely to make it out alive and gruesome death is just around the corner.

It's also an incredibly gory movie, where the bloodshed is taken to a gratuitous level. People are fed into meat chippers and tortured and murdered in increasingly nasty ways, and it's all handled with a certain level of skill and professionalism by Japanese director Ryuhei Kitamura, who brings the same level to insanity to this as he did to VERSUS and AZUMI back in the day.

British star Luke Evans is very good in the main role while the bad guys are all suitably sleazy and the victims all suitably victimised. Those looking for depth or a profound exploration on the nature of death and violence will be disappointed; this is superficial stuff through and through, packed with incident and plot twist after plot twist and little else. It's a perfect piece of popcorn entertainment for those who can handle the copious bloodshed.

I've had my eye on No One Lives for a while and in that time I had forged good expectations for the film. What more could an avid horror fan want when such a solid cast gets paired up with one of the most interesting horror directors in the biz in Ryûhei Kitamura, known widely for his direction of the 2000 film "Versus" & more recently for his 2008 "The Midnight Meat Train". So it seemed the film's success would likely all come down to the quality of the script put forth by first time writer David Cohen.

This is definitely one of those films that is extremely hard to review without spoiling things, so I will stick to relaying the most basic plot line as possible. After botching their last job, a crew of merciless, degenerate criminals encounter a man(Luke Evans) & his girlfriend while eating at a restaurant. This spirals into a further violent meeting between the two which get's more interesting as we come to learn just where the real danger lies. The clash turns bloody as the balance of power shifts & the gore begins to rain down.

Of course it helps to keep in mind that this is in fact a horror film and that you're not going to witness any award winning performances, but there are some really solid efforts given by Evans as the "Driver" & Adelaide Clemens who plays Emma, a kidnap victim who has been hardened by long lengths of mental & physical torture. There are a couple of scenes that are sure to please the sickest of fans while at the same time may seem a bit on the gory side to the average viewer, but overall I felt this was a very enjoyable, entertaining vision delivered by Kitamura. He lays down a few subtle nuances early in the film that become clear to the audience later if you pay close attention, the best being revealed near the end of the film.

As for the downside of the film, there were some real snags in the script that I felt could have been changed and yes there are a few holes in the plot, most of which were used primarily as a vehicle to exploit certain plot developments. Or in one case to present one heck of a bloody surprise, you'll know what I mean after you see it;] Despite those problems, the film still managed to rise above the average effort, but I believe that it was those weak script points that hurt the film in theaters & the reason it may draw further criticism in the future.

So in the end,if you're trying to decide if this will be a good pick for your horror/gore itch then I can definitely recommend this as a top choice, but if you're looking for a smart thriller with a well developed story then this may not be your best choice, but I wouldn't let it stop you from grabbing it from your local DVD kiosk.

"This little piggy went to market,This little piggy stayed home"....just Another hack 'n' slash Movie? No, not quite.

Plot: man and woman are relocating to a knew home in a car and a trailer. Not so law abiding Citizens see an opportunity for fast cash. But neither man nor woman are what they seem...

Slashers are often quite boring, especially the old school style like Halloween and Friday the 13th which in my view have ruined the genre by too many sequels, unimaginative scripting, lack of good acting and directing. A Nightmare on Elmstreet is forgiven due to Robert Englund's priceless comments. Lately though, we have seen a couple of pretty good ones, well, relatively speaking anyway. Belonging to them are Midnight Movie, The Collector, the Collection and Laid to Rest 1 & 2 which all have high production values which make you not just waiting for the victims to get picked off. No One Lives belongs to the latter category.

Another "problem" with slashers is that you almost Always root for the killer. Not because he holds great moral values or is good looking etc etc, but because the victims are impossible to like and because of silly looks and daft acting. Due to that fact most slasher Movies serve only as pre-bedtime Entertainment. No One Lives is different. It has a nice package of a suspenseful first act, perfect pacing and good acting from both star (Evans) and the unknowns.

Though a simple story it is well executed (no pun intended) and Luke Evans has grown on me to become one of my new favorites. I undoubtedly see him as the new action/thriller star. He has the charm, the looks and a badass attitude which works both for heroes and villains.

Downsides? well, it is nonetheless a slasher and as such it is difficult praise all the way. Despite of Luke Evans' performance you still, on the basis of the Movie being a slasher, wait for the killings. Negative is also the obvious plot holes. No One Lives screams for sequel and prequel which is not entirely a good thing I Think.

I give it 6 out of 10 which is quite high for a slasher, but, as mentioned above, it's got relatively high production values and nicely executed.

This movie is not what you think. Yes it is a horror (thats for sure), but it has a huge twist right near the start. I was watching this thinking "This is pretty good, story is going well". Then all of a sudden I was thinking "Wait! What the??". I don't want to give too much away, but the story changes tact about 10 or so minutes into the film, and I LIKED that a lot. The blood and gore factor in this is quite high too, which again I LIKED a lot. The movie was better than I was expecting for another WWE made horror, the last horror they made (Barricade) was below average in my opinion, but they've redeemed themselves a bit with this film. The characters were actually played well, especially the part of "Driver" played by Luke Evans. There were a couple of parts in the film that were cliché, but overall the film is quite good. So I give it a good 7.5 out of 10.