Rating of
1.5/4
A promising beginning, but a dreadful ending
ikkegoemikke - wrote on 03/03/16
"What the hell? You're not supposed to be here. Explain it to me. Why aren't you at your brother's funeral?"
"Intruders" surprises and disappoints at the same time. Beth Riesgraf is astonishingly good as the tormented Anna. A woman with a dark past and who's suffering from a severe form of Agorafobia. After the death of her father, she's left behind with a considerable amount of money and her sick brother Conrad (Timothy T. McKinney), who dies early in the film. The only contact with the outside world that Anna has, is with the errand boy Dan Cooper (Rory Culkin), who announces the daily meals in a witty way. Her phobia is so strong that Anna isn't even able to go to the funeral of her own brother. And when three men show up at her house to search the alleged fortune, it's the beginning of a seemingly thrilling home invasion which however takes a sudden turn. After that the entertainment level drops steadily. Although it all seemed very promising in the beginning.
There are plenty of home-invasion movies. They can only distinguish themselves from the others by incorporating a brilliant and original twist in it. In recent years we have been delighted with creations such as "The Purge", "You're next" and "The Aggression Scale". But lets not forget about legendary films as "Cape Fear" and "Home Alone". Each time a unique approach was used in these film. And so they differ from the frequent used concept. "Intruders" tries and initially succeeds in it. But eventually it ends in a minor key.
The first part was promising. Riesgraf played a decent role. Persuasive, emotionally and shockingly sadistic eventually. Perfectly casted to play an unpredictable female character who changes into an attacker, after she gave the impression of being a helpless and doomed victim. The transition is sudden and surprising. The three male attackers didn't realize what hit them. The film chooses a completely different direction and the home-invasion theme turns into a sadistic torture film with a transforming house. Although it's not as bloody and unnerving as "Saw" for instance. But there are some moments you can feel the intense exciting thrills with a few gory scenes.
Unfortunately, there are a few weak elements in this movie. First those three idiots who are up to something big. Of course they are portrayed as the recurring archetypes. The leader who came up with this plan is J.P. Henson (Jack Kęsy) who does his best to keep everything under control. His brother Vance (Joshua "Last Shift" Mikel) is the softer type who wants to run away as soon as possible. And Perry (Martin Starr) is the least controllable member of the gang. The only thing he wants to do is hit Anna with a sledgehammer. They knew about the money, but didn't know that she had this mental illness? The moment they realize that Anna is not so innocent and that the house is a huge mousetrap looks plausible. There are even some scary moments. But the final conclusion, the whole explanation of the true nature and origin of Ana's motive, was a bit far-fetched and disappointing. Most part of "Intruders" is undoubtedly excellent, but it would have been much better if only they were a bit more inventive about the denouement.
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