The Guest is a new Mystery/Action Thriller written by Simon Barrett and directed by Adam Wingard (creators of V/H/S 1 & 2). Released in the UK on September 5th, with limited release in the US on September 17th, The Guest won the 2014 BloodGuts UK Horror Award for best actor (Dan Stevens), best film, as well as best film score by Zombi’s Steve Moore.
- Still from The Guest
The Guest follows a mysterious man named David Collins (Dan Stevens: Downtown Abbey 2010) who shows up at the doorstep of an unsuspecting family. David is a well-mannered, good looking young man who claims to be a close friend of their recently deceased son, Caleb. Caleb was a military solider who was killed in the line of duty. David tells the family that he made a promise to Caleb that if anything happened to him, he would tell his family that he loved them and watch over them. At first glance, it seems that David is a stand-up guy that wants to keep a promise to his dying friend – that is until the story begins to unfold. David starts to become overly protective of Caleb’s family. First, by beating the crap out of the kids that were harassing Caleb’s younger brother, Luke (Brendan Meyer: Tooth Fairy 2010), and then by killing Caleb’s father’s boss, so his father, Spencer (Leland Orser: Independence Day 1996), could be promoted. When David kills an illegal gun salesman after stealing all of his weapons and pins it on Caleb’s sister’s boyfriend, we know things have taken a turn for the worse. On a side note, making a cameo is underrated actor, Ethan Embry (Empire Records 1995), as the gun salesman.
- Still from The Guest
Caleb’s sister, Anna (Maika Monroe: Labor Day 2013) knows that her boyfriend was not capable of this crime, so she decides to dig a little deeper into David’s past, as she begins to suspect that he may have been involved. She calls the military base to get more information on him only to find out that “David Collins” was also killed in the line of duty. As soon as the head of Special Forces, Major Carver (Lance Reddick: The Wire), finds out that someone had inquired about David, they send out a SWAT team to the family’s home, hoping to find him. Upon arriving, David begins a shootout with them, and this leads to an action packed and thrilling journey that will keep you on your toes.
The action scenes are very well played out and when viewers watch David, they cannot help but notice that he is almost robotic in the way he handles himself. He is quick, calculated and aims to inflict the most pain possible, all pluses with any action thriller. Every time the audience thinks they know who David is and where the story is headed, another turn comes right at them. Viewers will find themselves intrigued by who exactly David is and why things have seemed to go from one extreme to the other. Although the ending was perfect for the story line, it left you yearning to know more about David Collins and what happens next.
- Still from The Guest
The Guest is filled with non-stop action and thrills and sprinkled with the perfect amount of Black Comedy. Those looking for a movie that will keep them guessing will find that The Guest is the answer. CrypticRock gives The Guest 4.5 out of 5 stars.
- Picturehouse
Pre-order The Guest available in the US on Blu-Ray/DVD, January 6, 2015 on Amazon
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