[7]

Fede Alvarez (The Evil Dead remake) directs the hell out of this claustrophobic thriller about three horrible, stupid, awful twenty-somethings who break into a blind Gulf War veteran’s home to steal $300,000, only to realize they’ve severely underestimated their opponent. Hollywood hasn’t released a thriller this tense in a long time — that’s the good news. The bad news — at least for me — is that this is yet another in an ongoing string of films that centers around young protagonists that are not just unlikable, but downright despicable. Right from the start, you know these kids are simple thieves. Alvarez’s and fellow screenwriter Rodo Sayagues try to humanize them a bit with some tangential morals, but a thief is a thief and I’m a judgmental bastard. I mean, the girl thief wants to steal the $300,000 so she can get her little sister (or her daughter?) out of Detroit? That’s supposed to make me like this punk? Guess again. I couldn’t wait for the Gulf War veteran (Avatar‘s Stephen Lang) to blow their asses away, and that’s not a good thing. The script throws a few surprises at you after the half-way mark that wind the tension even further, and push this thriller well past the line into the realm of horror. Overall, I liked the movie. But I would have liked it much, much more if I cared about the characters.