Filmgoers, and genre fans more specifically, know that it’s hard to mess up those little two-handers about a killer in an isolated space cat-and-mousing with their victim. Just in recent memory there are distinctly fun ones like Mike Flanagan’s Hush, John Hyams’ Alone (and also, sort of, Sick), or Wes Craven’s Red Eye. And now, there’s a new film, Don’t Move, that slides into this lane nicely and is actually kind of reminiscent of all of those antecedents. Similarly, it’s effective enough to paper over the parts that beggar plausibility in favor of momentum and surprise, and it’s buoyed by a couple of sturdy performances.
Iris (Kelsey Asbille) is out on a solo hike, apparently to visit a memorial for her deceased son Mateo, but also to subsequently jump off a cliff due to the unfathomable and insurmountable grief. But a chance encounter with a stranger, Richard (Finn Wittrock), changes her mind. After he tells a sad story about his own traumatic past, Iris perhaps senses a kindred spirit, and she steps back from the ledge. Big mistake! Richard is, of course, a demented serial killer who tases her, ties her up, and tosses her in his car. Don’t Move scores some solid early points here by making Iris immediately resourceful and tough; there’s a great fight in the car that makes it pretty clear that she can hold her own against this guy. But as she escapes, Richard informs her that he’s drugged her with a strong paralytic toxin, and it won’t be long before her body gives out.
The first half of Don’t Move is a nice little banger. The direction (by duo Brian Netto and Adam Schindler) is unostentatious and economical, keeping the closeups claustrophobic even amongst the deep wilderness of the setting. There’s also some fun gross-out work here, indicating the influence of producer Sam Raimi, like when a paralyzed Iris is covered by a bunch of ants. Elsewhere, Asbille makes for a steely final girl, while Wittrock is particularly good in moments where his expression subtly indicates his facility with quick decisions and his skill as a charming liar. And then there’s also a terrific mid-movie set piece involving a would-be helper and an isolated cabin that lands with considerable panache.
Ultimately, Don’t Love begins to run out of gas as the paralytic wears off. Iris starting to regain some of her function coincides with an unfortunate stretch of the two battlers just talking in a car and hashing out their characters’ trauma via dialogue before their expected final confrontation, screeching what had been previously been quite the bullet to a halt. The finale at least recovers some of that energy, but one wishes for one more sustained stretch of cleverness, a climax that offers some of the same surprises that the first half held. Still, Don’t Move does wisely clock in at a tidy 83 minutes without credits, and outside of its temporarily ruptured pace, the overall pleasures this nasty little thriller offers are fairly undeniable.
DIRECTOR: Adam Schindler & Brian Netto; CAST: Kelsey Asbille, Finn Wittrock, Daniel Francis, Dylan Beam; DISTRIBUTOR: Netflix; STREAMING: October 25; RUNTIME: 1 hr. 32 min.
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