People are strange creatures. You can't always convince them that safety is in their best interest.

Rating: 8/10 (19 January 2017)

10 Cloverfield Lane is directed by Dan Trachtenberg and collectively written by Josh Campbell, Matthew Stuecken and Damien Chazelle. It stars John Goodman, Mary Elizabeth Winstead and John Gallagher Jr. Music is by Bear McCreary and cinematography by Jeff Cutter.
Michelle (Winstead) awakes from a car crash to find she is in a locked underground shelter...
From the off it has to be said that to know nothing about this film prior to viewing it will be an absolute bonus. For the rewards are plenty. Trachtenberg and his team have crafted a film that is tense from the get go, a piece that consistently has you wondering just what the hell is going on, not only are we puzzled by the three character dynamic in the shelter, particularly as regards Howard (Goodman), the proprietor of this particular shelter, but also just what has happened in the outside world? If anything? This only helps further the claustrophobic feel that's already brought about by the location setting of the tale.
A key strength of it, is that it, via Michelle's mindset, coerces us viewers into feeling her unease, and yet conversely we rejoice at her resourcefulness. On the same side of the coin comes her relationship with the third party in the shelter, Emmett (Gallagher Jr), it grows honestly and offers hope in what looks to be a bleak situation. But of course as tale unfolds, things start to come together, edgily so, with little spurts of action, shocks and genuine dread, all building up to the big finale, the reveals. Which will either have you spitting feathers or cursing the makers for the routes taken...
Superbly acted by the three principals (it's great that some film makers still realise Goodman is a major talent), and technically impressive for sound and vision, this coiled spring thriller is a winner. 8.5/10