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Knock Knock

Eli Roth has earned his stripes on the horror hall of fame with his early hits ‘Cabin Fever’ and ‘Hostel’ yet since his status has been brightly lit, his ability to host behind the camera seem to have been lost. Although ‘The Green Inferno’ is out and about, it’s official cinema release is September and being as I’ve not seen it yet, in my eyes, this is Eli’s follow up to ‘Hostel 2’ so there is already anticipation ahead.

 

Keanu Reeves plays against type as the victim to two young girls who randomly knock on his door after his family leave for the beach for the weekend. There’s no secret (simply watch the trailer) that these are less than welcome guests but not before they lead on the family man into a sordid threesome he won’t be forgetting for some time.

 

The innocence that enters the door and leads Evan to a night of his wildest desires soon disappears into the night as he wakes up with more than regret to the awakening that there is no morning after pill to take away the guests.

 

Both Lorenza Izzo and Ana de Armas do well to portray a youthful evil streak that plays throughout, the transformation from innocent to menacing is a smooth transition that rivals that of films such as ‘Fatal Attraction’.

 

But after after the events of the night before, the film loses track of what it wants to be.

 

SPOILER ALERT:

 

For much of the remainder of the film, the girls lead Evan on to be underage and continue to torture him on the provision he is a sexual predator, something that is not indicated at any point of the film and a lengthy rant from Reeves has the audience screaming along with him.

 

It’s a shame as there is an idea here at work but Roth’s attempts to twist the story never seem to quite prevail. There are moments when the film becomes inevitable twisted and is always tense but the rationale behind any of the motives is quickly diminished to nothing more than a sick game, one that just makes you feel violated that there is a message of infidelity and the cost you pay for it.

 

So why is it that sympathy always falls on the side of the cheat? At no point was it ever thought that Reeves was deserving of any of the punishment and to which, in the end, much of the punishment is taken out on the wife and family rather than Reeves character as an individual. From the start Reeves character is portrayed as a loving husband and father and while the young girls constantly flirt, Reeves plays a very uncomfortable yet gentle host aiding the girls in need. It is the girls who constantly maneuver him into the position the end up putting him and push him to mere breaking point while forcing themselves to entrapment.

 

The ambiguity behind the girls motives is the biggest downfall to Roth’s return to directing and feels somewhat lost with its tense roll reversal of capture and captive from the leading ladies roles that should have worked but in it’s attempt to create something original ends up more frustrating.

 

Without Roth’s penchant for gore or an original story to tell, it’s hard to see how this will stretch further than a bargain bin thriller that hides in the shadow of his early work and even writer Nicolas Lopez’s much superior ‘Aftershock’.

 

Director: Eli Roth

Released: 2015

Running Time: 99 minutes

Age Rating: 15

 

Reviewer: Martyn Wakefield

RATING


Plot: 2
Fear: 4
Gore: 3


R2/5​

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