Bring on the sequel and let's dig in.
The general premise is that of a thriller or revenge film. A man takes in a child and raises her as his own after a horrible fire. A group of individuals show up, take her and he's out to find them.
This description is at most surface level and you could watch the film from here without knowing or seeing the first film. The most interesting fact about the sequel is the portrayal of the man. He is blind and a NAVY Seal. It's no spoiler that the first film and the sequel share much of the same content. Another group of individuals break into his house and they become the victims.
The most interesting aspect of the original film in comparison to the sequel is the blind man as previously mentioned. They spin this to make the blind man who is a rapist and murderer into the protagonist. As with most films I watch these blind (no pun intended) and prefer to know nothing about it. I was shocked to see how this film was spinning this one. Fine by me, let's see where this goes.
The story begins as the blind man is teaching his daughter about the ways of the world. It's a big and bad place out there. We're soon introduced a woman that runs a plant business and they seem to sell her plants for income. She's concerned that the daughter is unhappy and isolated. Once in awhile the daughter goes with her into the city to be exposed to life outside their little enclave.
The little girl uses the restroom and soon runs into a creepy man standing outside the bathroom door. Unfazed, the young girl holds her ground and exits without incident.
News reports are heard talking about organ thieves running throughout the rundown city. A cooler is seen in the back of the truck when this creepy dude enters a truck with some of his buddies. Here we go.
Later on the plant lady runs into this man and his friends. Ex-military dishonorably discharged from an unjust war are his terms. We also find out she too served and has a different take. She is summarily brutally killed off very early in the film. This is a shame as I thought this new character was going to be more prominent in the film. What can you do?
The creepy guy and his buddies eventually make it to the house where the blind man and his daughter are living. The suspense ramps up considerably and is reminiscent of the first film. Fights and chases happen with some interesting gags to keep the audience engaged.
At one point the story does change gears once we determine the motive of this creepy guy and his cronies. Suspension of disbelief is obviously required to continue with this one. I welcomed it openly.
There are some interesting scenes specially tuned to the strengths of the blind man. Everything related to hearing obviously being accentuated while those with sight are at a disadvantage.
I particularly liked how there were many setups and payoffs. The camera will focus briefly on an object giving the viewer a subtle hint that this will be important but we do not know yet. Eventually you'll figure it out. This film making technique seems to have been discarded for a good long while and is indicative of thoughtful script writing.
The one use I found very well executed is the following. A villain with a gun has your daughter and is calling you to come out of the shadows. You know if you show yourself this person will shoot and kill you. So what do you do? Well, as eluded earlier there was some form of a gas tank that was shown. An opened gas tank rolls forward spewing out it's flammable contents. The villain drops his gun and makes some remark about that being a smart move. Time for a battle.
You know what type of film this is going to be by the title. A genre picture that will hopefully keep you entertained. The film is not searching to break new ground here. I was in the mood for something like this and found it enjoyable. This feels like a more sadistic version of Home Alone, fine by me.
I must admit that I do like the anti-hero flip they went with this. A bold choice especially in the climate of today. This man is essentially unstoppable and he's well into his 60s. This appears to be the way things are nowadays. Those action stars are collecting social security now.
People may not be able to get past the point that the protagonist is a rapist and a murderer. I get this and I see it mentioned often after some searching when I finished writing this piece.
Film is meant to challenge your perceptions be it in the form of high art or low trash. The choice is yours to watch or not. This is no masterpiece but I did find it interesting and kept me engaged. I've never passed watching a film because someone told me it was offensive, this only furthers makes me want to watch it. The fact that it's a studio film automatically removes the much allure for me. I've watched a lot of film and when I hear the term "offensive" it rarely lives up to its name.
Rotten Tomatoes is at a meager 41% while the audience cheers at 85%. I am in the 7 territory. Worth a watch from me, engaging and doesn't waste my time. I can't ask for much more to be entertained.
Shut off your brain and enjoy.
All images captured by myself using the original material.
Since I already have your attention I will add this.
Consider this the stinger.
A new month for chills and thrills in the horror department. How many horror films am I going to watch this month? How many days are in October again? 31.
There are 12 Friday the 13th films including the remake. Where is part 13? How long is this going to remain this way?
There are 12 Halloween films including the newly to be released Halloween Kills on October 15.
There are 10 Hellraiser films.
My point here is there are 34 films in 3 franchises. I hope you like sequels because you could blow through the entire month only watching a single movie a day with all these films. For me, I plan on watching at least two and probably more. I've always loved horror films and I don't see this changing anytime soon.
@badnewsbeards is running a fun horror movie challenge so check it out. Have fun in your personal challenge and I look forward to reading your entries as always.