Tags:
Film: Bad Samaritan
Year: 2018
Director: Dean Devlin
Writer: Brandon Boyce
Starring: Kerry Condon, David Tennant and Robert Sheehan
Review:
This film is an interesting horror thriller about the differences of class and how money affects our lives. The official synopsis is a pair of burglars stumble upon a woman being held captive in a home they intend to rob.
Something that really stood out in this story was of the duality of the characters. We have a rich man, Cale Erendreich (David Tennant). We see that he has some deep seeded issues. He is the one that has Katie (Kerry Condon) locked up and held hostage. It is interesting the reason that he is doing this, but going even farther though, the amount of money has allows him to do so much. The things that he does to the hero really had me anxious as he completely ruins his life. I thought that Tennant plays this role amazing and was perfect for the role. He has accent that gives him a smug sound and I thought it fit the character well.
Speaking of the hero, his name is Sean Falco (Robert Sheehan). He is a photographer, so you could call him a struggling artist, and is working as a valet for a local restaurant. He is dating Riley Seabrook (Jacqueline Byers) who is a college student. She wants him to pursue his talents, but he knows that it is a dream. I enjoyed this being I’m not that old from wanting to be a writer full-time. What she doesn’t know is he is a thief.
Together with his co-worker, Derek Sandoval (Carlito Olivero), they take the cars they are supposed to valet and go to owner’s houses. There they will take items that the customers won’t notice, which can include credit cards or items like this. What I’m a big fan about this is that I love the duality of the character. We have someone who steals for their gain, but when he meets Katie, Sean decides he has to do what he can to save her. This also pulls his friend into everything as well.
For a film like this, the acting has to be on point. I do think that is exactly what we get as well. I’ve already said how good Tennant was, but I think that Sheehan did a solid job as well. I do find it odd that he is Ireland, but the film takes place in Oregon. I was confused, because of Tennant’s accent as he is from Scotland. They do fairly well at explaining this away, but for a bit there I was thrown off. Condon was solid as the hostage who is trying what she can to stay alive. Byers was good as well. I found her cute and felt horrible with what happens to her in this film.
Going from there, this film doesn’t have a lot in the way of effects, but the ones that were used were good. There was some times seeing someone gets hit looked real. I not only cringed but verbally made a sound when I saw it in the theater. The aftereffects of people getting hit looked real as well. I will give the film credit for the realism.
The editing of the film was something else that I thought was decent. There was a stretch where I lost a little interest and thought that it gets a little convenient during the second and into the third act. I did have issues with Tennant being able to clean up the room where he is holding Condon so quickly. It also meanders a bit I feel that the film had issues with spatial. I thought some characters move across the distance faster than others. The film does build the necessary tension and the ending of the film was satisfying as well.
Sound design was something that was pretty solid as well. I thought the soundtrack fit the film. It is quite subdued for the most part and didn’t really stand out. There were times though that it did and I was impressed by it when the score helped the scene. I did find this to be a positive for the film.
Now with that said, I thought this film was good. It is an interesting blend of opposite characters. You have someone who is lower income as opposed to someone who is rich. Both are criminals, but what Sean does isn’t nearly as bad as Cale. I’m a fan of films that make you question your own morals, since if Sean doesn’t try to rob Cale, Katie might never be found. The acting for this film is really good. I was quite impressed by everyone across the board. The effects for the film were good as well. I had no issues there. The editing of the film is good for the most part. I felt there were some of the issues with it meandering a bit in the second and third act as well. The sound design was a positive for the film though. I think overall the film was is good and definitely worth a viewing if you are a fan of horror thrillers.
My Rating: 8 out of 10