Lou

In a secluded part of the Pacific Northwest, loner Lou Adell (Allison Janney) is living a solitary life with her dog Jax with her only regular contact being with single mother Hannah Dawson (Jurmee Smollett) and her daughter Vee (Ridley Bateman) who rent property on Lou's land. During a massive storm Hannah's abusive and presumed dead ex Phillip (Logan-Marshall-Green) kidnaps their daughter Vee and Hannah enlists Lou's help in tracking the two down leading to Lou tapping into her dormant skillset and long buried wounds that made her who she is.

Lou is the directorial debut of cinematographer Anna Forester whose previous directing credits were in television such as Criminal Minds and Outlander. Produced by J. J. Abrams' Bad Robot Productions, the film while initially setup at Paramount was dropped early on with Bad Robot opting to film Lou independently with distribution rights eventually being picked up by Netflix. The movie doesn't break too far from the established formula of this kind of action thriller, but it does deliver on suspense and character you expect from this type of film.

One of the things that stood out to me with Lou was just how gritty the film looks. While Lou is set in the 1980s, the movie wisely avoids becoming "nostalgia porn" and really only uses 80s iconography or references when appropriate and in context rather than reminding you every few minutes as some films set in the decade have been guilty of. From the hard-edged fight sequences to some really tense survival sequences such as a setpiece on a lopsided rope bridge the movie reminded me of thrillers such as 1988's Shoot to Kill which mixed this kind of chase movie with environmental perils. Allison Janney is really good as Lou and her performance as this hardened isolated loner is well done and she fits the role very well in terms of both the character's backstory and skillset as well as conveying the inner turmoil of this character when it's revealed what the source is. The other actors are good in their roles too with Jurmee Smollett's performance as an abuse survivor quite engaging and Logan Marshall-Green a solidly done antagonist even if they're not as compelling as Janney's role. The movie does have a twist relating to certain character relationships and like most twists related to this type of genre exercise I think most will see it coming, but it works well enough thematically and leads to a tense and emotional climax that I was willing to let it pass.

Lou doesn't reinvent the wheel when it comes to this kind of gritty minimalist action thriller, but it gives enough meat to the characters, aesthetics, and performances that I was kept engaged throughout the film's brisk 100-minute runtime. Anna Foerster shows solid work in her first feature in the director's seat and I look forward to seeing her hone her style in other films.

This is the kind of movie you want on a lazy weekend. Nothing too scary or sad or shocking. Couple of good twists. Solid acting and plot. Really cool scenery and camera work.

A couple of goofs (Battery operated light in the kids room is way ahead of the 80's timeline. I thought Jax went home? Where'd the bombproof vest come from?).

Allison Janney is great. Actually all the actors are good to great. Even the side characters of the local sheriff and deputy are good.

Overall a solid movie and worth it.

I'm glad I didn't pay to watch it on a theater. I don't regret the time watching it at home on Netflix.

As "Lou" (2022 release; 109 min) opens, we are introduced to Lou, a fifty-something "lone ranger" woman in remote Washington State (we later learn it's the San Juan Islands). One senses she has had a complicated past. Her neighbor is Hannah, a thirty-something mother of a young daughter. A big storm is arriving soon, and before you know it, things go haywire on many different levels. At this point we are 10 min into the movie.

Couple of comments: this film is directed by noted cinematographer Anna Foerster. More importantly, the film is produced by none other than J. J. Abrams, immediately raiding expectations. Alas, it was not to be. For that, look no further than the script, which is frankly quite weak. Not only do things happen that simply make no sense, but worse, there is never any doubt how all of this is going to play out in the end. There are two bright lights: first, Allison Janney brings a tough performance in the title role. Second, the outdoor scenery (somewhere in the wild and wide open Pacific Northwest) is simply tops. It's a shame that the rest of the production isn't on the same high level.

"Lou" premiered on Netflix this past weekend. If you are in the mood for an "action thriller" that is fairly straight-forward if not predictable, I'd readily suggest you keep your expectations fairly low, and then draw your own conclusion.

In dark, effective psycho thriller "Lou" Allison Janney (strong again) is a surly ex-CIA spook living on a remote mountain, pulled into helping only near neighbour Jurnee Smollett when her kid Ridley Asha Bateman is snatched by evil ex Logan Marshall-Green (great - channelling Tom Hardy) who's ALSO ex-military Special Ops. As Janney & Smollett track Marshall-Green across the harsh storm-lashed wilderness more layers & twists unfold... but how will it all end? Maggie Cohn & Jack Stanley's screenplay is classically solid, and Anna Foerster directs with a terrifically taut & gritty style. It's simple, old-school style fare, but still crackin' bang-on entertainment.

This movie could have been very good because the cast and acting are solid, with excellent cinematography. The story is so ridiculous, however, that no one could ever believe it and dramas don't work well with stupid scripts. Allison Janney, who plays a former CIA agent, is always worth watching and so are the other actors even though their dialogue is fairly limited. Jurney Smollett also does fine given the poor script she has to work with. It is impossible to describe how absurd the story is without including too many spoilers, so I suggest seeing this if you are an Allison Janney fan with about an hour and forty-five minutes with nothing else to do.