No Good Deed

Bantucinema

No Good Deed 6.5/10

Released: September 12, 2014

By William Rivers

"Didn't quite know what you had."

Let's start this by saying, I liked this movie. I know that score says slightly otherwise, but hear me out. I believe that No Good Deed is a very entertaining film that just missed the mark in a few key areas. For the most part, this film does what it sets out to do. The main problems stem from the direction. It seems that Sam Miller had a vision that was a little bit too small for the talent he was working with.

No Good Deed, starring Idris Elba and Taraji P. Henson, is a suspenseful thriller/ home invasion flick with a premise that is rather simple and by the numbers at first. Woman at home alone gets a knock at the door; mayhem ensues. This isn't the film that's going to leave you thinking for days on end about character motivations, despite what the back cover may tell you. This is simply a film that will keep you on the edge of your seat, at least during the final act.

Idris Elba is one of my all time favorite actors. Unsurprisingly, he plays his part as the antagonist extremely well. This man can be charming and terrifying all in the same scene, and that is his strongest asset. He really does get inside your head at times. I found myself forgetting just who we were dealing with on than one occasion. Taraji P. Henson also does a very good job as our, not so typical, woman alone at night. What I like about her character, Terri, is that she is clearly very afraid, but doesn't just sit there and cry the whole movie. The fear in Henson's eyes is real, and you are begging for her safety right along with her. The great part is that when she has an opportunity to fight back, she does, with the quickness. This isn't some damsel in distress, sobbing white lady, waiting to get murdered. This is a black woman with a home and kids to protect. I was cheering her on every step of the way.

The problems lie primarily in the soundtrack and cinematography. The frame will shudder and fade when Elba is thinking to remind you of how evil and sinister his thoughts must be. The audio will slur while people are talking to him to remind you that he isn't listening, but is instead thinking of terrible things to do to them. Scenes of his earlier kills flash onto the screen while he is sitting there not listening, and the screen is shuddering, and the audio is fading, to remind you that instead of listening, you should be remembering how dark and sadistic this man really is.

You get it?

Instead of letting us be surprised by Elba's performance, or allowing us to feed into the deception that he is attempting to commit, the film constantly reminds us that he is a villain. Now of course we know this from the start, but if you cast an actor who can really get inside your head, and your main antagonists job is to gain the trust of the people he is attacking, you can't keep killing the suspense. The music never really shuts up until that final act. Before Terri is aware of his true intentions, the film keeps us aware by adding constant swells in the soundtrack during scenes where nothing is really happening. They'll just be talking and instead of allowing the viewer to feel the tension with uneasy silence, the music grows and bellows building up to yet another fake out. If this character is supposed to be deeper than just a lunatic, then let him be that, and stop killing the vibes all the time. I know that the music was done this way to add suspense, but when it is over done like that, it just takes you out of the moment time and time again.

Once the third act begins most of these problems disappear and that is what saves this film in my opinion. When all the cards are on the table, you forget all about how disappointing the earlier scenes were, as you root for Terri and jump around in your chair screaming for her to get out of this alive. I would honestly recommend this movie to anyone simply because this part of it is so good. Sam Miller seems to have forgotten the potential that this movie could have fulfilled from beginning to end, and instead focused on keeping you glued to the screen when things became deliberately intense.

Over all, the movie is a good ride, but it just doesn't do all that it sets out to do. If you can get past the first two thirds of the film, you will honestly leave with no regrets, it's just a shame that the entire film couldn't be as great as it eventually becomes.