Krishna
This was really a surprise. I gave it a miss when it appeared in the theatres because (at least I think) that it did not make much of a buzz. Seeing it, I realize that it is a very tightly plotted movie and a battle of wits (mainly) and strength (often the advantage tilting in favour of one or the other) between two people, about whom you know little or nothing at the beginning.
You begin to learn more and more about the two as the movie goes by and have to revise your opinions constantly, which makes for a fun watch. And since the story takes place in a single house (the title referring to a particular room in the house) with very few characters, it is even more taut and exciting. A well made movie.
Luke Evans as Lewis and Kelly Reilly as Cathy have done an outstanding job of portraying their parts.
There is not much to tell. Lewis, an ordinary looking guy, is stalking a lady, whom we come to know later as Cathy. Shockingly, he abducts her in broad daylight, tapes her hand and mouth, renders her unconscious, bundles her into his car and drives off.
When she comes to, she realizes that she is in a padded cell, with her hands and legs shackled. The room has a very high window which is barred, but nothing else. The dimensions? You guessed it. 10 x 10 feet.
She naturally assumes he is after her body or her money and offers money first. She is afraid he will molest her. But he wants to know her name. She says Cathy. For some reason, he refuses to believe her and keeps insisting that she give her ‘real’ name. He says that she can scream and shout and no one can hear her, because his house is in a very secluded area with no neighbours, and on top of that, the room she is now in is completely soundproof.
She tries everything to get free. She somehow smuggles her cell phone in and tries to call 911. She tries to pry open a tile to use as a weapon. Her tenacity astounds us and we feel more and more sympathetic to Cathy’s plight and angry with Lewis.
The story slowly moves around to reveal why Lewis is upset with Cathy and why he does not believe that it is her name. The more you know, the more you re-evaluate your sympathies.
What adds to the tension is how he repeatedly loses control of the situation, even though, in the beginning, he had her where he wanted – shacked and in a room which he controlled, with seemingly no help for her.
The story has surprising layers in it. What happened to the family of Lewis, how Cathy (which is not her real name) had a part in it, why she totally rocks his world, and his family when she describes the reason for her doing what she did.
I know the above details are all cryptic but I do not want to put in spoilers in this review. What I am striving to bring out is that it is full of twists and turns and nothing is what it seems to be, initially.
Good entertainment and keeps you watching until the end with complete attention.
8 / 10
– – Krishna