True Beneficiaries

Rating: Null/10 (4 September 2016)

1st things 1st. This movie, is in exalted company.
Wait until dark. Cape Fear. Both versions. You're Next (absolutely fantastic). Ils, and it's American remake, The Strangers. Funny Games. A ClockWork Orange. Panic Room. The Purge. Haute Tension / High Tension. The Collector. Pacific Heights. Unlawful Entry. The Raid: Redemption. Yup. Even this one.
1 of the things about home-invasion movies is how much more easily the audience-members can identify with the protagonist(s) whose domain is being invaded.
Audience loyalty(ies) is/are tested (shifted) every time, with each and every twist in the tale, including one that I honestly did not see coming, that most local audience-members could not stomach, and it IS something that will make, or break your regard for the work that the makers have put into.
About character affectations, a very refreshing aspect is how consistent the main leads are, like ppl are in real life, to what motivates them throughout. Overt nods are paid to those (the bag! the continuous unrequited love! the pig-headedness!), and while I value subtlety and being nuanced (in the arts) rather than being overt, in this case, I thought those particular nods were justified, especially in one of the main characters' cases.
1 of the best things about the movie, Avatar's very own 'Quaritch', Stephen Lang, brings, to his rendering of the not-helpless-at-all blind man (pro/antagonist?), an amazingly fluid grace in terms of body language, in each and every sequence he fills the screen with, that hearkens to memory the recent rendering of a similar character, Stick, by thespian Scott Glenn, and also Rutger Hauer's similar (and not-so-similar) act in the late 80s cult-classic, 'Blind Fury'.
The camera-work and the framing, along with the set and production design, plus the on-location work, in Detroit, or places that look like it, are absolutely top-notch.
The (DI?) color-palette also makes it seem like a movie from the 80s or the 90s, or maybe even earlier, and reminded me of David Fincher's team's work on 'Zodiac' and 'Se7en' ('Panic Room' as well). Also, 'Kill the messenger' and 'Nightcrawler'. A friend also mentioned that it did call to mind the nouveau (almost) 1- long/continuous-take movie, 'Too Late'.
The background score is on-target, only calling attention to itself during the B-movie/grind-house style end-credits, which are also a treat to sit thru. Sound design in this kinda movie is one of the lynch-pins the entire narrative has to be supported by, and is more than up to the task. Top-notch, once again.
I haven't watched Fédé Alvarez's remake of Sam Raimi's (producer on this one as well) cult-classic, 'Evil Dead', but now am curious to examine his work on that. He seems to have sound-bytes out on wanting to do more original stuff than remakes, with this being the 'original', but the way it has been filmed, this wears its influences on its sleeve, and for my money, though I think it IS good, I would never call this original. 'Room' was original. 'The Babadook' was original (tho it does not belong in this genre). 'You're Next' was original. This one, on the other hand, for all its positive attributes, is anything but original.
Btw, and this just a random observation I had while watching this (which did not detract from this well-made movie) - I do not understand why it has to be 3 invaders every time ('Panic Room', anyone? or 'Wait until dark', for that matter, 1 of the pioneers in this genre). Can't it be more/less?
It's sad that many people are spoiling the flick for ppl who've not seen it, by revealing the 2rd-act twist online. They're just leaving leftovers for the rest of the audience. Having said that, I know the 3rd act twist, and still wanna watch it again.
Not to be missed, especially on the big screen. Not for the squeamish, or the easily offended, either.