Don't Move

I don't understand the low ratings. This certainly isn't an Oscar-winning masterpiece that will change your life, but just because it's not doesn't mean it's bad or mediocre, like some reviewers may have you believe. This is a solid cat-and-mouse thriller. It follows Iris, a grieving young mother who visits the makeshift memorial of her late son in the woods. There she meets Richard, who soon injects her with a paralytic agent, causing her body to freeze up and shut down within 20 minutes.

The film manages to maintain a genuinely tense atmosphere throughout. There's a great deal of tension and suspense. The acting from the two central actors, Asbille and Wittrock, is really great. Moray Treadwell and Daniel Francis are also good. Treadwell's British accent does come and go, when he's seemingly supposed to be playing an American. Francis is convincing and good as the inquisitive, skeptical cop. The action scenes are realistic yet graphic. The film does a good job of including several close-call scenes throughout the film where Iris comes close to being rescued or escaping, only to be thwarted by Richard. That was really effective, and further elevated the unsettling ambience. This is reminiscent of another film that's somewhat similar, Alone (2020). If you enjoyed that, you'll enjoy this too.

Really entertaining, tense, unsettling, and suspenseful. The premise is simple, but where this film shines is in its great execution. A fun watch.

Though the movie is relatively mediocre, I have to say, it was worth watching because I got to watch Finn Wittrock run around as a killer again for the first time since essentially the forth season of american horror story. I believe that Wittrock is an increble actor when it comes to playing deranged or psychopathic characters and I was happy to see him portray this again. Overall, the plot is very different then regular films but it explains why this plot is never used. Frankly, its unpredictable to a fault and is just not a movie that needed to be made. I would have rather just watched Finn Wittrock scream for an hour and a half and called that good.

A grieving Iris climbs to the top of a mountain, with one thing on her mind, Richard follows her up, and does his best to stop her making a huge decision. Unfortunately Richard's motives for helping Iris aren't well intentioned.

It's that film that everyone at work is talking about at the moment, and of course it's number one on Netflix.

We've had don't breathe, now we have don't move, I wonder what's next, don't listen, don't look? There's definitely a pattern forming.

It's a fairly effective thriller, albeit one that's fairly flawed. More plot holes than you can shake a stick at, and if you start asking how, why or what, you'll lose the plot, just enjoy it for what it is.

Several moments of tension, a couple of thrills and spills, and it's fairly well acted.

Lots of threads sadly just don't go anywhere, and unfortunately we don't learn much about Richard, his past, his motivations etc, but as a snapshot it's quite effective.

An ending that made Halloween Kills seem almost realistic, he's one tough serial killer.

6/10.

Iris (Kelsey Asbille) is a young woman mourning the death of her young son from an accidental fall on a family camping trip. Waking up early and without telling her husband, Iris makes her way to her son's memorial in the park intent on jumping off the same cliff only to be stopped by an engagement with a seemingly well-intentioned stranger named Richard (Finn Wittrock) who tells her his own experience of loss with his girlfriend Chloe causing the two of them to walk back to their cars together. However once there Richard reveals himself to be a serial killer and kidnaps Iris knocking her unconscious. Thanks to a Swiss Army knife Iris manages to make Richard crash the car and escape only to be informed by Richard he's injected her with a paralytic agent that will work its way through her system over the next 20 minutes rendering her completely immobile.

Don't Move is the new Netflix thriller produced by Sam Raimi and directed by Adam Schindler and Brian Netto who are no strangers to working with Raimi having directed Grey Cloud Island (Minnesota) for Raimi's Quibi anthology series 50 States of Fright as well as collaborating on their own solo projects like Netto's Delivery: The Beast Within or Schindler's Intruders. The film was announced in 2022 with a script by Schindler's Intruders scribes T. J. Cimfel and David White with shooting commencing in 2023 with Netflix acquiring distribution rights the following year. Don't Move doesn't reinvent the wheel when it comes to this kind of "cat and mouse" thriller, but it utilizes the format effectively to generate palpable tension thanks to brisk efficient direction and an engaging heroine and villain.

If I were to compare Don't Move to something, I'd probably say the best comparison is a serial killer version of the movie Red Eye from 2005. Much like how that film was built around the tension and chemistry generated between Rachel McAdams and Cillian Murphy, a similar effect is achieved between Asbille and Wittrock. Kelsey Asbille does well playing a grieving mother who feels trapped by the world following the death of her son and it's incorporated well into her struggle for survival that gives her an arc for being able to live again. On the opposite side we have Finn Wittrock (who I mainly know from season 4 of American Horror Story before I stopped watching) who is very good as the man calling himself "Richard" whose good looks and charismatic charm are nicely contrasted with the darker nature that reveals itself and creates a terrifying character who can bend and twist reality on the fly to meet his ends. In terms of mining a feature length ride from the central premise of character being paralyzed I'll admit I was more than a little skeptical as while it's a terrifying idea it's incredibly difficult to stretch to feature length especially when purposefully limited (such as 2007's Awake which went to some inexplicable areas in its usage of Anesthesia awareness). Despite the challenges inherent in working with such a concept, Cimfel and White's screenplay does well in creating high concept scenario's that inhabit just enough believability (implausible as it may be) that we get some very memorable sequences in which Iris needs to communicate other than words to get help as it's out of reach only inches away. I also have to applaud cinematographer Zach Kuperstein who manages to take his largely wooded setting and keeps it looking interesting especially as it relates to POV shots from Iris making you feel her helplessness and desperation.

I liked Don't Move and felt it was a nicely done thrill ride perfect for either a Halloween viewing with friends or just by yourself. What it lacks in originality it more than makes up for in craft, acting, and follow through.

Don't Move (2024) is a horror-thriller that brings some standout performances and impressive special effects but falls short in some crucial areas. The film's atmosphere, enhanced by eerie visuals and realistic effects, sets the stage for a terrifying experience. The actors also contribute with commendable performances, immersing the audience as much as possible within the limited structure.

However, the movie suffers from dialogue and character actions that often feel out of touch with reality, creating a barrier to full engagement. It's as though the script was written without a grounded understanding of human behavior and interaction, which becomes distracting as the story progresses. Moments that should be suspenseful or tense are undermined by implausible choices and stilted dialogue, leaving viewers questioning the motivations and reactions of key characters.

The end result is a film with potential that ultimately feels disconnected, despite its visual strengths and competent cast. Fans of horror may appreciate the surface-level scares, but those looking for an immersive, logical storyline might feel let down.