In this movie, originally titled Night Shift, a single mother who works as a janitor (played by newcomer Natalie Terrazzino) is trapped in a factory with a group of sinister killers. For the first time in her life she must fight for her life in this cheap but decently made thriller.
It's another one of those movies where the everyman needs to develop some quick fighting and survival skills in order to save his or her life from a group of trained or professional attackers who have the protagonist trapped in a secluded or limited location. This one is really just an excuse to show off some cool kills and effects.
Technically an improvement over the directors´ last film Five Across the Eyes (2006) just because the production values and the lighting and camera work became more expensive (or they might just be talented enough to make it look expensive) but it follows the survival genre decently enough like the other film did.
There's always a problem with these movies because the person who is being chased is supposed to be a normal citizen yet they suddenly become a green beret and murder their enemies like they are combat experts, some movies covered this ground well like the recent Trigger Warning (2024) or even the classic Die Hard (1988) by establishing that the lead character went through police or military training of some kind at the very least. This movie doesn't do that but still pulls off the premise fairly well, however, at times it's a little too convenient when it comes to the mistakes the criminals make, which keeps it from fully working.
The characters are very plain and one-dimensional, the main lead is likable and good at her role but hardly memorable. I do wish Terrazzino continues in the action girl path because she seems very photogenic. The villains are some masked tough killers who are a dime a dozen in these films. There´s an anti-misogyny angle which was appreciated, as the genre relies on empowering a person who is often inexperienced or overlooked when it comes to defending themselves from numerous criminals only to show his or her true strength. It´s also somewhat anti-MRA? considering the connotations of the villain´s motivations perhaps? Who knows.
The storyline reminds me of the real life case of Susan Kuhnhausen whose husband hired a hitman in order to get rid of her, the man attacked her with a hammer but she fought back and ended up strangling the guy. I wish they made movies about how badass real life women are, there's no real need to exaggerate the menace or to come up with convoluted scenarios.
I am sure every person has had daydreams about what they would do if they were being chased by robbers or assassins, well, you can get a few ideas from this flick. It's short and efficient in just 90 minutes but nothing spectacular.
No comments:
Post a Comment