Blehhh! I never expected this movie to be really but I also never expected it to be as bad and bland as it turned out to be.
Director Scott Walker made his feature length debut with this movie and it really shows. It makes bad decision after bad decision and the storytelling is severely lacking in this.
It's a bit of a weirdly made and told movie really. On the one hand its trying to be a realistic and respectful retelling of true events but on the other it throws in so many different Hollywood clichés, that it's actually hard to ever take this movie serious, despite the fact that it's based on a true story. It's also really build up and handled as a typical Hollywood thriller, with as an added problem to it that there is absolutely nothing thrilling about this movie at all.
One of the problems of this movie its 'thriller' aspects is that it tells you flat out who the killer is, almost right of the bat. So where is the tension and mystery supposed to come from? Don't ask me, I really have no idea. There are of course some other genre movies that have taken on a similar type of approach but most of those movies still offered plenty of other interesting stuff, such as providing us with a look into the mind of a serial killer and mad man. But that's not something that this movie is doing as well though. It isn't even really ever trying to, which truly makes the killer an incredibly bland character, that we never get to know or understand. But the same could be said for any of the other characters in this movie as well.Nicolas Cage looked seriously bored throughout this entire movie. Yes, even more so than usual, which is an indication that he probably truly was feeling bored while filming and wasn't having much confidence in the story or his part.
None of the characters are ever that likable in this. Also the surviving victim, played by Vanessa Hudgens, which you're supposed to sympathize with, is basically only one very annoying character. What's so annoying about her is the fact how she keeps running into danger, by going to all of the wrong places and all of the wrong people. It doesn't happen once, it doesn't happen twice but at least three or four times maybe! I lost count, just as I lost interest in this movie as well, after a while.
It isn't a very exciting or interesting movie to watch and yes, it's even a bit of a boring one. It's probably because of the fact that the movie is a predictable- and very standard looking and feeling genre movie, that isn't taking any chances with anything.
A missed opportunity, for it had plenty of potential in it, that's worse to watch than just the average genre attempt.
4/10
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