MEETING EVIL: A TRULY FRIGHTENING CHARACTER

Luke Wilson stars as John Felton, a real estate agent who can't catch a break. The housing addition he works and lives in has fallen on bad times with the housing crunch. Unable to get a loan, fired from his job, he comes home to be surprised by his wife and children only to lash out at them. They leave to visit the park and a knock at the door finds John facing Richie (Samuel Jackson).

It seems Richie's car won't start and he needs a push. John obliges and then Richie asks him to go with him so he can repay him with a drink. The bar they end up in is familiar to John and he begins to feel a bit uncomfortable when finds the boss who just fired him at the bar. John takes the high road and backs away gracefully but Richie just doesn't see the world that way. He suggests John take on a bit of revenge. John declines.

Also in the bar is a young woman named Tammy that John worked with at the real estate agency. Not only did he work with her, it comes out that he was having an affair with her, the main reason that his boss fired him. When Tammy's too drunk to drive, he and Richie give her a lift. This is where things begin to change.

For whatever reason Richie is evil personified in one man. Anyone who does something to John, for instance the cell phone store clerk who won't allow him to make a phone call, suddenly ends up beaten to death, of course, after a visit from Richie. The three roll down the highway until John thinks he sees Richie for what he really is when he slaughters everyone in a quick stop gas station.

In a situation where he has to worry about the Tammy as well as himself, John can't simply drift off alone. When Richie shoots a truck driver who nearly runs them off the road it seems that their fate is sealed. A stop at a nearby house soon after gives John a chance to help Tammy escape but leaves him there with Richie as the police turn up. Richie kills the policeman as well and off they go down the road once more.

The police are trying to track down the killer responsible for not only the gas station killings but the cell phone store clerk as well. When they question John's wife its clear that they think John is responsible. He was the last one seen in each spot and no clues concerning Richie are there.

John eventually convinces Richie to let him go and he does without threatening him. He does remind John as he drives away that John had invited him to his home for dinner at some point and that he thinks now is the time as he pulls away.

John is caught by the police, still the main suspect behind the killings. He knows that Richie is behind it all but how can he convince them? Not only that, can he do so in time to be released and make sure that his family is safe as well?

The film has a nice twist during the final portion of the film, one that most won't see coming. Just who Richie is, why he's doing everything he's done and if he truly is nothing more than evil personified is revealed. In any event what we are presented with from start to finish is one of the most terrifying characters ever seen on screen. Jackson does a stand out job speaking calmly yet oozing menace with each word. His actions speak much more than his words but the words give you those chills.

I was afraid at first that this film would be boring and take far too long to get going. I was pleasantly surprised with what I found. In a world where people are facing hard times, where everyone feels like someone some where has screwed them over, it's easy to relate to the character of John Felton. At the same time it's easy to see why he changes a bit before the end of the film.

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