No One Lives

Plot synopsis:
While traveling cross country, couple Betty (Laura Ramsey) and an unidentified man, referred to as "Driver," (Luke Evans) encounter a gang of robbers led by dedicated criminal Hoag (Lee Tergesen), his daughter Amber (Lindsey Shaw), girlfriend Tamara (America Olivo), Amber's boyfriend Denny (Beau Knapp), and the psychopathic Flynn (Derek Magyar). Suspecting the couple to be wealthy and wanting to redeem himself for a robbery he botched, Flynn has them kidnapped and interrogated about accessing their money by Ethan (Brodus Clay) in a gas station. However, Betty commits suicide by cutting her throat on a knife Ethan had against her neck, which leads to the Driver breaking out of his handcuffs and killing Ethan.
Meanwhile, Flynn, having brought the Driver's car to the group's hideout, finds a girl in the trunk of the vehicle. Amber realizes the girl is Emma Ward (Adelaide Clemens), a wealthy heiress who disappeared after 14 of her friends were murdered at a party, and the kidnapped man is the one responsible for the massacre. Amber attempts to be kind toward Emma; however, Emma angrily spits in her face. Following Hoag's orders, Denny and Tamara head to the gas station to contact Ethan, only to find his and Betty's bodies and the Driver missing. They bring Ethan's corpse back to their hideout and inadvertently bring the Driver along with them, who had been hiding in Ethan's body.
The Driver begins his assault on the robbers by first destroying their van and capturing Hoag, whom he later kills by dropping him into a meat grinder. After the group argues over what to do next, Denny volunteers to get their old jeep working so they can escape. Though he succeeds, the Driver shoves him into the open car engine, badly mangling his face. The Driver then chases and injures Amber, but lets her live when he realizes the surviving gang members are leaving. Nevertheless, Flynn accidentally hits Amber with the jeep when she stumbles onto the road. Emma comments on how the only one of them with a soul was killed.
After dropping Denny off at the hospital, Flynn, Tamara, and Emma head to a motel to stay the night. When Flynn uses the Driver's credit card to pay for a room, he inadvertently causes Harris, the motel owner (Gary Grubbs), to call the police, as the Driver had previously checked himself into the same motel earlier in the day. The Driver himself also arrives at the motel and nearly strangles Tamara to death in the bathroom, but stops when he hears Flynn shoot the sheriff responding to Harris' call. Flynn euthanatizes Tamara when he discovers her, which leads to Emma attempting to escape. Though Flynn manages to stop her, he is promptly run over by the Driver in a police car. Emma tries to shoot the Driver with a gun she got from Tamara but runs out of bullets and flees into a nearby junkyard.
When the Driver confronts Emma, she states she is done running and she beats him with a metal pipe until Flynn appears with a shotgun. The Driver notices the danger and throws Emma out of harms way after which Flynn shoots the Driver in the chest. The Driver survives due to his Kevlar vest and the two engage in a brutal fight. Ultimately, Flynn manages to grab his weapon, but is knocked out by Emma before he can fire it. The Driver states his amazement over this turn but Emma explains she wants to be one who finally kills him and manages to aim the shotgun at him. The Driver then urges her to take the shot. However, because a new shell had not been pumped into the chamber, the firearm fails to operate. Impressed, the Driver cuts out a tracking device he placed inside her stomach and announces that she is free. He then finishes Flynn off with a shotgun blast to the face and also shoots Harris for knowing his real name.
The next day, the Driver murders Denny in his hospital bed with a clipboard while disguised as a doctor. As he leaves, he notices Emma being wheeled into the hospital on a stretcher. He touches her arm before finally departing.

Tags: revenge, murder, violence, flashback

Review:
What more could an avid horror fan want when such a solid cast gets paired up with one of the most interesting horror directors in the biz in Ryûhei Kitamura, known widely for his direction of the 2000 film "Versus" & more recently for his 2008 "The Midnight Meat Train".
The clash turns bloody as the balance of power shifts & the gore begins to rain down.Of course it helps to keep in mind that this is in fact a horror film and that you're not going to witness any award winning performances, but there are some really solid efforts given by Evans as the "Driver" & Adelaide Clemens who plays Emma, a kidnap victim who has been hardened by long lengths of mental & physical torture.
There are a couple of scenes that are sure to please the sickest of fans while at the same time may seem a bit on the gory side to the average viewer, but overall I felt this was a very enjoyable, entertaining vision delivered by Kitamura.
Or in one case to present one heck of a bloody surprise, you'll know what I mean after you see it;] Despite those problems, the film still managed to rise above the average effort, but I believe that it was those weak script points that hurt the film in theaters & the reason it may draw further criticism in the future.So in the end,if you're trying to decide if this will be a good pick for your horror/gore itch then I can definitely recommend this as a top choice, but if you're looking for a smart thriller with a well developed story then this may not be your best choice, but I wouldn't let it stop you from grabbing it from your local DVD kiosk..
i was searching movies that Luke Evans were in i think he's a pretty good actor but nails the roles as an intelligent villain, which he definitely was in this movie and yeah You can say he was a lil crazy too (sarcasm).For a film in this genre where its become hard to find something close to original or decent i was very impressed with this one and was glued in from the jump i loved the cast and the characters i think everybody did a pretty good job.
Yeah it had some some similarities with other movies but definitely had its own spin, not too many movies you find yourself rooting for the bad guy but i found myself doing that in this, i would like to see him play a version of Hannibal Lector.Overall great movie for its genre good ending and twist at the end, deserves a better rating i try to rate movies for their genre but definitely watch this if you're into this genre you shouldn't be disappointed..
Laura Ramsey is pretty good as the other female characters; but Adelaide Clemens disappoints in a complex character far above her acting skills.There is strong violence and gore but it never gets too disgusting (or at least too realistic) and are lots of dark funny moments..
When I am in the mood for a horror movie I usually want something with a non confusing plot, decent acting , and good pacing.
i was glued to the screen for this action packed horror right from the beginning it grabs you into its violent and dark world, good acting even if the blood looks a little fake,its at times quite gory so if this bothers probably not a movie for you, however its highly entertaining and fast paced which i like as sometimes these sorts of movies get a little boring trying to draw out the suspense.
But neither man nor woman are what they seem...Slashers are often quite boring, especially the old school style like Halloween and Friday the 13th which in my view have ruined the genre by too many sequels, unimaginative scripting, lack of good acting and directing.
The movies does this with genuinely shocking gore and also assembling a great cast portraying interesting characters while not pulling any punches to make characters seem more sympathetic or trying to give the film a traditional lead.The movie focuses on a violent gang of thugs led by Lee Tergesen (The Collection, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning) who are just coming off a standard home robbery that went violently awry.
He goes nuclear and the average, everyday bad guys have to band together to survive a really bad guy's wrath.The plot is pretty simple but the films avoid feeling like a standard siege movie by creating interesting, truly unpredictable characters played by talented people like America Olivo (Neighbor, the Friday the 13th redux), Lindsey Shaw (Final Destination 3), Derek Magyer, and Luke Evans, whose villain is one of the best, most interesting psychos in recent memory.
The film does have a few extremely whacked out moment, such as a brutal, MMA style girl-fight and some pretty literally in your face, gratuitous nudity, scenes that work fine on their own but don't really feel like they belong in this movie.
It's cool, and violent, but it didn't quite resolve the story or all its questions as well as I would have liked.In all, I loved No One is Safe and highly recommend it to horror fans and lovers of really dark, violent action stories as well, since this movie really is a cross between the two genres.
The slasher scenes were actually pretty decent, however, there were some tech gadgets that I simply was not buying into, though I guess if one was affluent enough, they could buy nice little toys like that.There definitely is some eye candy in this as well.Take this for what it is worth.......I personally find most horror movies to actually be pretty bad, however, I have always been drawn to movies about serial killers........however, nothing will every surpass the hannibal lecter pentalogy, at least in my mind..
these I suppose are meant to be eye-opening character moments, when in fact they are mind-numbing gibberish perpetuated by a man who's idea of a good time is to rub someone's head against a running engine.What did you expect, from a movie part financed by WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment)?
They had certainly messed with the wrong "mild-mannered" guy.Luke Evans, playing the nameless lead character simply called Driver, was effectively charismatic and creepy.
Director Ryûhei Kitamura spared no expense in giving us the most disgustingly blood- drenched death scenes for most everyone in the cast as they died one after the other.I don't like gory films, but this one was not as bad as I was expecting after seeing the WWE credit.
and it's a good one, though I had figured it out by the second scene.Ryuhei Kitamura does an excellent job of creating tension and suspense at the right times as well as keeping the story tight and moving at a rapid pace.All the actors give good performances, especially Luke Evans as The Driver, Adelaide Clemens as Emma Ward, and Lee Tergeson gives his usual "Bad Boy" as Hoag.It's also nice to NOT see a wrestler anywhere in sight saying WWE had a hand in production.Unfortunately, not to give spoilers I cannot say much more, though I would recommend this to all revenge lovers, out there, to watch at least once...
Luke Evans made the killer character the one who you would enjoy watching whether he is chasing the girl, killing or simply a loving gut.
Luke Evans made the killer character the one who you would enjoy watching whether he is chasing the girl, killing or simply a loving gut.
I didn't even know about this movie until this morning, Saw trailer and looked great.A gang of thugs who end up messing with the wrong person, as the person they kidnapped turn out to be a Psychopath.Wow this movie actually flew by, it really well paced and never gets boring at all, I was actually clued to the screen most of the movie.There one moment in the movie, that stick with me for few hours after the movie, gross but also in away It was kind of funny.I loved some of death scenes in this movie, some of were very gruesomely gory at time.The weakest part of this movie is the acting from most of the cast were not that good and dose effect some scenes in this movie but don't let that get in away.
Luke Evans is very good here, his nameless maniac is a true gem of whole movie, just like Adeliade Clemens's performance.
Realising who Emma is, the gang all plan to hand her in to claim the reward for her safe return, but things don't go so well and they start getting picked off one by one.The trailers for No One Lives makes it look like a really good, suspenseful movie, but in actual fact it's really a very run-of-the-mill slasher flick.
In fact, it actually gets to certain points where you actually WANT something bad to happen to them, and when something does you cheer a little inside.The killings in the movie are very gory too, and while I don't mind gore being used to add to the feel of the movie, I just think that the gore used was way over-the-top.
I want to inform you that this is full of cool brutal scenes not to mention that this is violent horror kind of movie you probably will feel squeamish watching this gory film so you better have a strong gut what distinguish this film is that there are not any heroes in it, interesting characters though, that been played by adroit actors which put you in position to enjoy the ride and root for no one.
This one is a fast-paced, action packed tale of small-time gangsters, kidnappers and serial killers, and the title is an apt one; it's the kind of nihilistic fare where nobody is likely to make it out alive and gruesome death is just around the corner.It's also an incredibly gory movie, where the bloodshed is taken to a gratuitous level.
People are fed into meat chippers and tortured and murdered in increasingly nasty ways, and it's all handled with a certain level of skill and professionalism by Japanese director Ryuhei Kitamura, who brings the same level to insanity to this as he did to VERSUS and AZUMI back in the day.British star Luke Evans is very good in the main role while the bad guys are all suitably sleazy and the victims all suitably victimised.
With this film, I most certainly walked into the "gay bar." It's MY tastes that are out of sync, so I'll just say I didn't like it and let the rest of you gore-loving psychopaths enjoy your movie..
I will give it a couple of compliments, visually it's good looking and it has some clever kills and the gore is on point and gruesome, the soundtrack is also not too bad.But that's how far I can go with the compliments, cause frankly it's really hard to care what happens to anyone in this movie because they are all bad people to various degrees.The acting isn't terrible, it's above average for a WWE production that's for sure but it doesn't matter because in the end a movie where you don't care about what happened to the characters is pretty pointless.Knowing that it's a WWE production the characters does have a bit of the same macho testerone that the characters usually have in those movies which makes the characters a bit flat although I believe they hired only real actors this time, no wrestlers from what I know at least.I was pondering whether to give it a 4 or a 3, decided with the latter because I think it's highly over-rated as it is now with a strong 6/10 in average which is pretty good for a horror here..
As can be expected by the film title the bodies will fall, blood will drip and gore will be awaiting us with a vengeance...Bloody and unrelenting with a host of unsympathetic characters filling the screen, "No One Lives" basically fulfils its base promise as a no-holds-bared ordeal for heavy watching.
I must say that this surprised me, i really didn't expect this to be this good, but Kitamura really made this a very good entertaining horror movie.I also watched Kitamura's Azumi and Midnight Meat Train, now this....
The script was pretty good and acting too, but the reason of 8 stars stands on the element of surprise (i thought he bugged the Jeep not Emma) and e few others made me rate it the way i did.Nice job Kitamura..
"You're Next" is the movie I would recommend to watch instead.This horror movie has both pretty bad acting combined with dumb and dull characters, and just feels cheap.
My only complaint is that no one has heard much about this movie and since its release it really didn't have much a solid reception at the box office when it was released on theaters which is a shame to Luke Evans, who's acting has so drawn so many fans and admirers from his years on Broadway to now films (Fast & Furious 6, Immortals and Dracula Untold); The Story/Script was okay but wished for more of a back-story to the criminals that held Emma captive and wished for more scenes with the mysterious "Driver" played by fine Welsh actor Luke Evans.
The bad would be that there's little of character development (with the exception of Emma Ward played by Adelaide Clemens and Luke Evans aka The Driver) and generic performances from the other actors due to the script but with a movie like this you just here to watch and be entertain for all its gory and action sequences and might care less for the acting.
Luke Evans steals the show I have seen him in a few roles and always plays them well.There is the common twists and turns that you will always have in the genre of movie but there is some that do surprise even the hardcore slasher fan.Watch the movie if you want to leave your brain at the door and if you like blood,guts and gore however if you have a tendency to be squeamish best not to view..
Definitely good choice of soundtrack (better than most the films) Luke Evans is not one of my favorite artists but he's %100 match for the lead role in this movie.
The way that the story was written and filmed makes it entertaining while also kind of rooting for the bad guy.
I actually quite liked this, even though it didn't have any particularly well-known actors in it, memorable special effects or was even that original.It borrows elements of various genres, i.e. horror, thriller, home-invasion, stand-off and creates a simple enough story which I won't go into too much detail about, as there are a couple of plot twists/unexpected moment which you might not see coming.
It was a pretty decent and entertaining watch for a slow Saturday afternoon.Why You Might Not Like It: As mentioned, the blood and gore is over the top and unrealistic in many spots, which I would argue takes away from the movie more than it helps it.
Well, I'm a big horror/thriller movies fan, and I saw this film last week with very low expectations, due to the reviews that I've read about this.
Still Luke Evans makes for a sexy, delightful villain and although it falls into a few genre trappings and some failed attempts at low budget action it's a fun little gore flick with a surprising amount on it's mind.
It has action, killing, decent dialogue for a horror movie, a good ending, and a nice soundtrack similar to the Saw theme.
A-Z Horror Movie of the Day..."No One Lives" (R - 2012 - US)Sub-Genre: Slasher/Crime My Score: 7.4Cast=6 Acting=8 Plot=9 Ending=8 Story=7 Scare=6 Jump=5 F/X=9 Blood=9 Twist=7A gang of ruthless highway killers kidnap a wealthy couple traveling cross country only to shockingly discover that things are not what they seem.
The thing with WWE movies, is that you know your in some kind of secure place with what you are going to get, namely a load of old cobblers, but lots of fun.12 Rounds, The Marine, See No Evil, and many others are the type of film, that you just put on, switch off and just relax for ninety minutes.Here, its nothing different, but there is a wonderful twist at the beginning if the second act.If you haven't read about the film, and are just enticed with the title, you are either mad, or like me, someone who will watch anything, and after seeing Evans in the DOS, i wondered how he was outside of middle earth.It's pretty gory stuff to be fair, the film opens with a couple who are in the road to get away from it all, but they bump into a gang of criminals, and eventually get kidnapped by the one who's a little bit loopy (there's always one).Up to now, so far, so average.
It has some very interesting elements in it, but it doesn't follow up on some of its ideas and some of the subplots go missing in action or are summarily disposed of.While the concept of having a band of predatory criminals pick the wrong victim has a lot of energy, and the family dynamics are fun to watch,and the films visual style packs a lot of "oomph"...in the end, the whole thing feels like an exercise in pointless nihilism and emotional sadomasochism.I couldn't imagine how Luke Evans thought this movie would advance his career, but he does a good, stoic job with his role, and if I ever get a chance to see some other stuff he has done, i might take it..
So already you can spoil your movie experience by not even looking at the trailer.No one lives is an average gory thriller flick, with Luke Evans.