No Good Deed
2/4
Starring: Taraji P. Henson, Idris Elba, Leslie Bibb, Henry Simmons
Rated PG-13 for Sequences of Violence, Terror, Menace and for Language
It would be unfair to say that the failures of the new thriller "No Good Deed" are due to the film's pacing issues, but they are by far the film's biggest fault. There are other problems with the film, such as supposedly smart characters doing amazingly stupid things, badly staged fight scenes, and an obvious grab for a PG-13 rating, but the poor pacing and lack of rhythm is the most glaring flaw of this film. And in a "stranger within" thriller like this, good pacing and rhythm is essential.
Terri (Henson) is a loving wife to Jeffrey (Simmons) and mother to two young children. She and Jeffrey are a little testy with each other, but they make plans to get away for the weekend (without the kids) to reconnect after he gets back from taking his father on his birthday golf trip. Her best friend Meg (Bibb) will invade her house for a girl's night now that Jeffrey is out for the weekend.
Meanwhile, Colin Evans (Elba) is up for parole. Everyone knows he's a serial killer who brutally murdered five women, but no one could prove it. He only went to jail after killing a man in a bar fight. Now he's up for parole, but it's denied (this is one of the many scenes that doesn't ring true). But Colin is a "malignant narcissist," and when someone pisses him off, he goes completely loco. That's when he escapes en route back to prison (this was done better in "The Fugitive"), but crashes his car while driving away. Guess whose house he ends up at when he needs a phone?
I'd be willing to forgive a few basic credibility issues if the film were more effective. There some dumb stuff in this movie, such as Terri never uses her cell phone when the phone lines are cut, or how Colin can get hit in the head with a fire extinguisher (that Terri just happens to have lying around) and regain consciousness ten seconds after tumbling down the stairs from the hit. That stuff comes with the territory (ever seen a slasher movie?). But some legitimate suspense and shocks make such flaws invisible, or failing that, easy to overlook. Sadly, "No Good Deed" is relatively thrill-less.
The performances are adequate, but no more. Taraji P. Henson got an Oscar nod for playing Queenie in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," but you wouldn't know it here. She shows some ability and charisma, but that's it. Her co-star Idris Elba is less impressive. People have long been saying that Elba is the next big thing in Hollywood, but I've never bought into it. He's had some decent performances, such as in "Prometheus" and "Takers," but he doesn't have a lot or range. Frankly, he looks bored; Colin isn't very menacing.
I'll give it props for trying to do something with Colin's mental state (the images and sound start to blur and echo when he begins to lose it). Sadly, it's not terribly innovative or convincing, and it's dropped as soon as it becomes inconvenient for the plot.
Then there are the action scenes. They're badly staged and lack tension, primarily because they're neutered for a PG-13 rating. Some genres, like slasher movies, demand an R rating. If not for gore, then for psychological tension. Director Sam Miller is constantly trying to avoid the restrictive rating, and his walking on eggshells couldn't be more obvious. Then again, one wonders why he bothered since the MPAA gave this film a PG-13 even though Terri says "fuck you" to Colin. Twice!
As much as I like the genre, I'm going to have to recommend giving this movie a pass. The script is terribly weak and the film takes forever to achieve take-off speed (and when it does, it's still pretty dull). Even the big twist is set up so badly that I didn't know if it actually made sense. Just watch "Single White Female" or "Fear" instead. Preferably both.
Starring: Taraji P. Henson, Idris Elba, Leslie Bibb, Henry Simmons
Rated PG-13 for Sequences of Violence, Terror, Menace and for Language
It would be unfair to say that the failures of the new thriller "No Good Deed" are due to the film's pacing issues, but they are by far the film's biggest fault. There are other problems with the film, such as supposedly smart characters doing amazingly stupid things, badly staged fight scenes, and an obvious grab for a PG-13 rating, but the poor pacing and lack of rhythm is the most glaring flaw of this film. And in a "stranger within" thriller like this, good pacing and rhythm is essential.
Terri (Henson) is a loving wife to Jeffrey (Simmons) and mother to two young children. She and Jeffrey are a little testy with each other, but they make plans to get away for the weekend (without the kids) to reconnect after he gets back from taking his father on his birthday golf trip. Her best friend Meg (Bibb) will invade her house for a girl's night now that Jeffrey is out for the weekend.
Meanwhile, Colin Evans (Elba) is up for parole. Everyone knows he's a serial killer who brutally murdered five women, but no one could prove it. He only went to jail after killing a man in a bar fight. Now he's up for parole, but it's denied (this is one of the many scenes that doesn't ring true). But Colin is a "malignant narcissist," and when someone pisses him off, he goes completely loco. That's when he escapes en route back to prison (this was done better in "The Fugitive"), but crashes his car while driving away. Guess whose house he ends up at when he needs a phone?
I'd be willing to forgive a few basic credibility issues if the film were more effective. There some dumb stuff in this movie, such as Terri never uses her cell phone when the phone lines are cut, or how Colin can get hit in the head with a fire extinguisher (that Terri just happens to have lying around) and regain consciousness ten seconds after tumbling down the stairs from the hit. That stuff comes with the territory (ever seen a slasher movie?). But some legitimate suspense and shocks make such flaws invisible, or failing that, easy to overlook. Sadly, "No Good Deed" is relatively thrill-less.
The performances are adequate, but no more. Taraji P. Henson got an Oscar nod for playing Queenie in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," but you wouldn't know it here. She shows some ability and charisma, but that's it. Her co-star Idris Elba is less impressive. People have long been saying that Elba is the next big thing in Hollywood, but I've never bought into it. He's had some decent performances, such as in "Prometheus" and "Takers," but he doesn't have a lot or range. Frankly, he looks bored; Colin isn't very menacing.
I'll give it props for trying to do something with Colin's mental state (the images and sound start to blur and echo when he begins to lose it). Sadly, it's not terribly innovative or convincing, and it's dropped as soon as it becomes inconvenient for the plot.
Then there are the action scenes. They're badly staged and lack tension, primarily because they're neutered for a PG-13 rating. Some genres, like slasher movies, demand an R rating. If not for gore, then for psychological tension. Director Sam Miller is constantly trying to avoid the restrictive rating, and his walking on eggshells couldn't be more obvious. Then again, one wonders why he bothered since the MPAA gave this film a PG-13 even though Terri says "fuck you" to Colin. Twice!
As much as I like the genre, I'm going to have to recommend giving this movie a pass. The script is terribly weak and the film takes forever to achieve take-off speed (and when it does, it's still pretty dull). Even the big twist is set up so badly that I didn't know if it actually made sense. Just watch "Single White Female" or "Fear" instead. Preferably both.
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