Review by Mr. Will Wong
We love ourselves a good Home Invasion Thriller. We know it’s messed-up, but The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, Fatal Attraction, Obsessed and Unforgettable are classics to us and now comes The Intruder which hits some of the same scary and cathartic notes as those predecessors. If you aren’t here for the bad choices characters make in these type of films, then you can see yourself out. But you can come back and help with Christmas decorations, Thanksgiving dinner and pizza, just call or text if you come over. Unlike Dennis Quaid‘s Chuck. He just shows up whenever the hell he feels like it in THE INTRUDER.
Successful young couple Scott (Michael Ealy) and Annie (Meagan Good) celebrate the former’s major deal closing and buy a new house out in beautiful Napa Valley. He’s a successful Marketing Executive and despite her being a successful Writer, we never once see Annie on her laptop writing, but whatever. All good. They are interested in widowed Chuck’s (Quaid) charming home in the woods which is on the market for a bargain $3.5 million and are greeted by him to the sound of gunshots as he slays a deer right in front of them upon arrival. If this isn’t a warning sign, I don’t know what is. But again, if they’re cool with this, then so are we.
Annie is in love with the house, so to please her, Scott agrees with her to buy it. Chuck is to go off to Florida to live with his daughter, but keeps resurfacing. He shows up uninvited mowing their lawn, armed with bottles of wine and Annie takes to him, pitying him. Scott though, makes it clear he wants boundaries. Chuck‘s presence is a burden on Scott and Annie‘s relationship, refusing to let go of his beloved home, while becoming increasingly-drawn to Annie. Despite being told to stay away, Chuck still resurfaces and Annie keeps letting him in until one last time when he gets just a little bit too close for comfort. Like, really close.
Make no mistake, David Loughery‘s Script is full of plot holes. I mean, what really happened to Chuck‘s late wife and why? Why is he so insistent on not leaving this home even after getting a $3.3 million payout? And who in their right mind would invite this guy over?
Part of the joy of THE INTRUDER actually takes place off-screen. The audience reactions are absolutely amazing. I take great delight in hearing the stress in their voices and screams at some of the genuinely scary and tense moments. But most of all, I love the laughter at the outlandishness we see. I couldn’t stop laughing. You know exactly what you are getting coming into this and it is exactly that. Quaid goes all in and even slithers like a snake in one scene, outright creepy and ridiculous, but we’re here for it. Good and Ealy are in on the fun and know their purpose in advancing this story.
This definitely wasn’t an intrusion, it was a welcomed distraction from our winter blahs.
Sony Pictures Canada release THE INTRUDER Friday, May 3, 2019.Â
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