Complex psychological thriller...

Rating: 7/10 (21 March 2004)

1st watched 3/20/2004 - 7 out of 10(Dir- James Mangold): Complex psychological thriller that ends up being a story-within-a-story. I don't want to give away too much so all I'm going to say is that this is a well-done scary movie that starts out as a drama about a bunch of people and how they end up stopping at the same motel and then 1-by-1 those that are present start dying. Eventually we find out that they all have something in common(I'll leave that for the viewer). The director does a good job of re-directing our focus so that we have no idea what's going on until the final surprise half-hour. Known for his cop movies, this is a departure for him but he does an excellent job with the material. The acting is credible enough but it's the story that's really the star in this movie. It's similar to a TEN LITTLE INDIANS type of plot but it doesn't go the same direction. All-in-all this is scary well-done escapism with a twisted ending.