Knock at the Cabin

If anything, I'll give Knock at the Cabin, M. Night Shyamalan's new thriller, credit for making me want to read the book. That feels like a rarity where a film encourages that afterwards, but color me intrigued. 

The film itself is a very solid thriller, even if it doesn't seem to have much of a lasting impact. Thankfully, Shyamalan has help with the writing and screenplay this time around as writing is often not his strong suit. It helps here with a screenplay that feels well constructed and character focused. Part of me wishes there was more behind the mystery of it by the end - hence why I'd like to read the book - but I commend Shyamalan for not shoehorning in a twist just because that's what he's known for. 

Mysteriously, four random strangers show up at a cabin where a family is taking a vacation. After invading their home, they explain how the family must make a decision to sacrifice one of themselves in order to prevent the apocalypse. The premise itself is bonkers and almost feels so loose that it's not convincing, but it's likely you'll eventually be on board. That's mostly because of Dave Bautista's central performance as an empathetic and caring 2nd Grade Teacher who is clearly stressed and not happy at all about the scenario he has to invade this home and force this family to make an "impossible decision". In hindsight, Bautista's performance really carries this film higher because he finds the balance of being menacing (physically) yet so understanding in his actions, that he's a big help in convincing the audience that, despite the crazy premise, it is real. 

Other performances are stellar across the board and ultimately the majority of the film plays out inside the cabin. That certainly detracts some of the energy from the overall thing - similar to M. Night's previous film Old - but the harrowing apocalyptic scenes help to break it up (seriously, one of these is haunting). While I wish other elements would have been better (e.g. original score, cinematography that is often obnoxiously close to the actor's face, R-rated but shies away from any gore, etc.), this is an enjoyable and intriguing one-time view.

Rapid Rath's Review Score | 7/10