Film Reviews: It Follows (2014) and Run All Night (2015)
It Follows (2014). Written and directed by David Robert Mitchell. Set in 80s USA, the film starts with a girl running from a house on a suburban street. A neighbour ask if she's OK and needs help, but she says she's OK. Her father leaves the house and asks if she's OK, and she runs back into the house. Seconds later she leaves the house again, gets in the car in the driveway, and speeds off. Some hours later, at night, the girl is by a lake. Her worried father calls and she tells him she loves him. Some hours later she's in the same spot, brutally murdered. It Follows is a curious horror. It manages a low budget 80s feel, which adds to the odd atmosphere of the film and story. Although it does rely a little on shocks, it's more a case of maintaining an atmosphere of tension, which is does pretty much throughout. I don't get the kicks from horror films that I once did but I still enjoyed this, as something a bit different. Inevitably recommended for horror fans, who are also looking for something a bit different. 4/5 (Good)
Run All Night (2015). Written by Brad Ingelsby and directed by Jaume Collet-Serra. The film opens with Jimmy Conlon (Liam Neeson) lying mortally wounded by a lake, and reflecting on life. The story is then told in flashback several days earlier. Jimmy works for crooked businessman Shawn Maguire (Ed Harris). Jimmy's best days are past him, and he's now a somewhat useless drunk, supported by Shawn. Shawn's son, Danny, is trying to broker a drugs deal with the Albanian mob which he takes to his dad, who refuses to agree to it. Danny is warned by the Albanians that he must returned the money that was fronted to him. Run All Night is pretty familiar territory. Liam Neeson plays a grizzled gangster, rather than a grizzled cop, dad, or something else. I found the story passable. Inevitably recommended for those who can stand another familiar Liam Neeson film. 3/5 (Average)
Run All Night (2015). Written by Brad Ingelsby and directed by Jaume Collet-Serra. The film opens with Jimmy Conlon (Liam Neeson) lying mortally wounded by a lake, and reflecting on life. The story is then told in flashback several days earlier. Jimmy works for crooked businessman Shawn Maguire (Ed Harris). Jimmy's best days are past him, and he's now a somewhat useless drunk, supported by Shawn. Shawn's son, Danny, is trying to broker a drugs deal with the Albanian mob which he takes to his dad, who refuses to agree to it. Danny is warned by the Albanians that he must returned the money that was fronted to him. Run All Night is pretty familiar territory. Liam Neeson plays a grizzled gangster, rather than a grizzled cop, dad, or something else. I found the story passable. Inevitably recommended for those who can stand another familiar Liam Neeson film. 3/5 (Average)