A well directed mess.

Rating: 4/10 (31 July 2003)

POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD
James Mangold's horror thriller is a curious hybrid of Agatha Christie, Stephen King and Alfred Hitchcock. Frankly, as a film it's a mess. Its very nicely directed, with competent if thankless performances from the likes of Ray Liotta, Alfred Molina, and John Cusack (always great value) but despite some sharp dialogue, the script goes walkabout halfway through the film.
Initially the story is cliched but well executed, with ten apparently unconnected characters forced to spend a night in a Motel cut off from the outside world during a thunderstorm. They are then promptly bumped off one by one. Red herrings fly thick and fast as they try to guess which of them is the killer. However, at this point a Norman-Batesesque twist has the effect of making you cease to care for any of the characters. Other twists follow in a convoluted and rushed final act which pulls the rug out from under the audience at least two times too many.
Therefore on balance, this is worth a look for devotees of the genre, but others beware.