VOD Review: Intruders (2016)

"The poster pretty much tells you what to expect with Intruders, but you'll still be surprised at how it unfolds. "

A lot of people will tell you that the first two thirds of Intruders is great, and then it falls apart in the final act, and becomes something less. That's kind of true, because most of what comes before is better than what is found in that final act, but it still works, faults and all.

Don't let the naysayers scare you off of this one.

*It really is better to see Intruders without knowing too much about it. I'd say that if you like Home Invasion Thrillers, then you should skip reading any reviews (even this one), and avoid watching the trailer, and just give it a rent. If you don't mind reading details about a movie that could potentially ruin its twists, then read on.

Afflicted with a pretty severe case of Agoraphobia, sweet, demure Anna spends her days locked inside of her house, taking care of her terminally-ill brother, Conrad. The only real contact that she has with the outside world comes in the form of Danny; a food delivery guy who she has a sort of odd friendship with. When Conrad dies, Anna is distraught, and her Agoraphobia is so bad that she can't even bring herself to leave the house for his funeral.

NOPE. NOT GOING OUT THERE.

Shortly after trying to give Danny a large bag full of money (which he politely refuses even though she has plenty of it, and won't miss it), three skeevy dudes show up, break in, and are determined not to leave until they get every bit of money that Anna has stashed in the house. Needless to say, Anna isn't very keen on visitors.

DAMN SHE LOOKS WICKED.

To say any more about the movie would ruin its twists and turns, and that would really suck, because they work so well. What we will say though is that Anna may not be able to go outside without being paralyzed by fear, but she's not afraid to defend her home at all, and she's pretty good at it.

"HELLO, BOYS. I HOPE YOU ENJOY YOUR STAY."

Intruders was a really solid Home Invasion flick, even if it did offer some familiar tropes along the way. What makes this one stand out from the norm though, is a clever, smart script that adds some much welcomed twists to the sub-genre, and some well-realized characters that made it all play in a realistic way. It was taut and intense, and we generally felt anxious anytime Anna was in danger.

We knew this was going to be a Home Invasion/Survival flick, but we didn't know how it would play out, or that it would be so entertaining to watch. 

IT DIDN'T PLAY OUT VERY WELL FOR HIM THOUGH, DID IT?

Beth Riesgraf, who we've never really seen in anything, did a great job playing both the victim, and the heavy in this one. She switched between vulnerable and ruthless with ease, and she really impressed us with her presence and versatility. Then again, the "bad guys" of the movie were equally good in their roles too, especially Rory Culkin and Martin Starr; both are great actors, and seeing Martin Starr play against his comedic type and go truly sinister was fun as hell. He should take on more of those types of roles going forward.

The dialogue was pretty naturalistic in this one too, and you can tell that the director handled the actors well, because as much talking as there was in this movie, it never felt dull, forced, or over-the-top.

THEY NEVER SAW IT COMING.

On the downside, as great as the movie was, particularly in the early going, it lacked a bit in its back half. Once we start getting explanations as to who Anna is, and why she's so mentally fragile, it loses some of its edge; not because the explanations sucked, but because we were just kind of told what the deal was, and it would have been far better if they had shown us some of that backstory instead. They just could have taken a bit more time at the end, not only with the movie's reveals, but with the way that it wrapped everything up.

That said, Intruders still does it better than most, even if it doesn't do it quite as good as some others.

THAT KID LOOKS THRILLED TO BE IN THAT PICTURE.

You probably shouldn't mess with shy loners who never leave the house, because they most likely have some secrets that you don't want to discover. Also, Martin Starr needs to play more serious, murderous roles.

BILL HAVERCHUCK GREW UP CREEPY.

We really liked Intruders, and the way that it twisted and turned and ended up feeling like a different kind of Home Invasion Thriller. The cast is great, and the characters that they're given to play were all interesting and felt like real people, which always makes things better. We wish that more movies of its kind were executed as well as this one was, even if it wasn't a perfect movie.

Give it a rent, and enjoy.

B

Intruders is available now on VOD.

Hello, Beth Riesgraf, it's nice  to meet you.