CLIVE OWEN
INTRUDERS
Reprising his long string of father figure characters Oscar nominee Clive Owen (Closer) dabbles in a very loose interpretation of a horror film. The director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo (28 Weeks Later) whom I had the opportunity to interview said this is more of a mystery thriller. Intruders is outside the American horror system and that’s good news for audiences who want more than blood, guts, gore, and terrible acting. Both Intruders and Cabin in the Woods premiered at the SXSW film festival however while not as groundbreaking at Cabin in the Woods will be hailed; Intruders is the more enjoyable and grounded film.
Mia Farrow (Ella Purnell) wakes her father John (Owen) up in the middle of the right to talk about a bad dream. Like any father John attempts to console his teenage daughter, but as the routine becomes repetitive they both discover someone in her room late at night. New security systems are installed, the block out on high alert and Mia now even more shaken fears the night time. Mia finds a dirty note hidden in the truck of a tree on their property that encourages her to use the narrative for her own story at school. When she is attacked again at home and no one is visible on the security cameras the doctors and police turn their investigations on the father.
Intruders follows the path similar thriller like Sam Rami’s The Gift or even Drag Me to Hell using psychological paranoia to further drive the script. Arguing whether one observation will offer a better explanation to the plot of conclusion is useless. The goal of a film like Intruders is to offer the audience visuals, reality, fantasy and what a good director and screenplay will do is blend these together creating discussion for those finding enough interest in the subject matter.
Owen’s performance is moderately interesting but this isn’t the type of character with a lot of depth or screen time to really become three dimensional. Compared to his recent work in The Boys are Back or Trust this is one of the weaker Owen roles. The editing for Intruders is interesting, in retrospect non-linear but also uneven. One of the best things I can say about this film is it’s divergence from the type of “horror” movies we have become desensitized to in America. Intruders at its core is more interested in telling a story than catering to jumps and scares.
Final Thought – The films realism manages to elevate it higher than another cheap horror movie.
Grade C+
By: Dustin Chase W.
Editor: Michael Woody
Dr. Donna Copeland’s
2nd OPINION
Intruders follows two children as they experience weeks of nightmares about a hollow-faced man who gets in through an open window. The boy Juan (Izan Corchero), about five years old, lives in Spain with his mother, who brings in priests to help him master his fears.
The girl, Mia (Ella Purnell), is twelve, and is convinced the intruder is inside the house. Her father (Clive Owen as John Farrow) battles the faceless man, and he institutes elaborate security measures (the police, cameras, alarm systems) to document the incidents. Mia becomes mute after a particularly terrifying night. This is a later time and in the US, and Mia is sent to a psychiatrist.
Scenes with the intruder are indeed very scary, with the boy going outside between buildings in the rain, hanging on ledges, being clutched by the intruder, seeing his mother attacked; and Mia fighting him off and her father physically battling with him and chasing him outdoors, the roof falling in, and so on. All the characters are well cast and convincing in their roles. There is a possibly plausible psychological resolution to the problem, and the two stories are linked together in a way that makes sense.
Although this is not an outstanding film, it is probably one that many horror fans will enjoy.
Grade: C
