Once again low budget film makers have created an
interesting film that rivals some major releases when it comes to creativity.
The end result may not be the greatest movie ever made but at least you have a
group here making an attempt at something new. With the loss of drive-ins
across the country as well as double features a thing of the past, direct to
DVD is the only way these independent films get made. And on occasion you get
something decent.
Kaya Scodelario stars as Kelly, a young girl desperately in
love with boyfriend Mark. But Mark’s mother isn’t fond of the young girl,
seeing her as someone from the wrong side of the tracks and just trying to
latch on to her son. So the pair do what any young couple does, she sneaks into
his bedroom at night via the second floor window. Their romance takes a dive
when Kelly reveals to Mark that she is pregnant, something he’s not too happy
about.
That night gets worse as the pair are surprised by the sound
of someone in the house other than his parents. Checking things out Mark finds
a group of kidnappers in the house who take him and his mother hostage and his
father, a banker, to the bank as a plan to rob it. Kelly, aware of what is
going on first tries to get out the window forgetting that Mark locked it the
night before and has the key on him. She quickly hides beneath his bed and
tries to figure out just what to do.
An altercation resulted in the leader of the gang Shane
(Dougray Scott) being severely wounded. He sends part of the team with the
father and two men stay with him. Of course, the bed they choose to leave him
in is Mark’s.
As the movie progresses Kelly is left to her own devices to
find a way to either get help or take on this trio of bad guys before the rest
of the gang returns. Rather than go the route of DIE HARD ingenuity or Rube
Goldberg contraptions, the screenwriters here have Kelly employ whatever she
has on hand to her advantage. Her first feat is to get out from under the bed
and make her way around the house. Then she begins to find ways to deal with
the problem first hand.
This would make the film a variation of the hostage turned
heroine but rather than leave it at that more complex situations are brought
into the mix. A secret that turns the story on its head late in the game comes
off surprising but in review makes sense. The movie leaves you with an ending
that’s quite satisfying for all involved.
Some have really ripped this movie to shreds in various
reviews. For me it wasn’t award winning material but it was a pleasant enough
80 minutes that was far superior to many films that are released this way. The
acting of all involved was quite good, especially Scodelario as Kelly and Ed
Skrein as a member of the gang with a penchant for violence. The movie won’t be
one that you’ll remember long after seeing it but for an evening’s
entertainment it does a fine job.
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