Soldier David (Dan Stevens) turns up at the Paterson family home, saying he was a friend of their son who died in battle. As someone the mum Laura (Sheila Kelley) can mother, daughter Anna (Maika Monroe) can lust after and son Luke (Brendan Meyer) can look up to, he’s a
welcome addition. That is until suspicions over his identity arise.
In other words…
Homeland moulded to fit many genres.
The main men and leading ladies…
Best known for his work in Downton Abby, Stevens manages to play the role of teen heart throb, inspirational brother,
model son, suspicious trespasser and old school psycho all in the space of 99 minutes. And he masters them all admirably.
In the chair…
Adam Wingard has
mainly stuck to horrors until now, and while you could say there’s a hint of
continuity here, it’s also a new direction for him. And he's taken an
extreme opposite in the sense the traditional scary movies,
this bad guy is handsome, friendly and in your house.
So…?
The intentions of The Guest are marked early
on and it’s no secret it’s trying to be sinister and stylish. It’s starts off
like a chick flick – hot guy, bit of sexual tension and confrontation with the
high school bullies. The it descends into
this gripping suspense thriller which leaves you on edge and outwith
your comfort zone as you lose confidence in the main character. Then the third
act turns it into some ‘80s horror with a vibe similar to Drive. It doesn’t
achieve quite the same atmospheric chill as the Ryan Gosling movie but it is
incredibly tense. So much so you never really warm to the cold and calculated David, which makes it a tough viewing considering he’s the lead role. Girls start
off wanting him, guys start off wanting to be him, but that quickly fades when
you realise he’s not who he says he is.
Worth the money?
Doesn’t need the cinema
to work, save it for DVD.
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