Movie Review
No Exit is a decent little thriller. It's not a particularly original or deep film, but it builds tension effectively, and it does so with a tight ensemble and a simple but compelling story.
There are quite a few twists and turns here too, and while the final act perhaps turns a bit too much, causing a bit of whiplash, there's enough here to make for a worthwhile thriller nonetheless.
Storyline
The story here is about a recovering drug addict named Darby. He is disillusioned with rehab, but when he gets a call from the hospital that his mother is suffering from a brain aneurysm, he decides to go there, stealing a car. Unfortunately, a blizzard forces him to take refuge high in the mountains at an isolated highway rest stop.
Once there, Darby encounters a collection of questionable characters; ex-military man Ed, shady Lars, charismatic Ash and a middle-aged lady named Sandi.
When Darby discovers a van parked outside with a gagged and bound little girl in the back, he realizes that one of them is responsible for the kidnapping. And who?
What follows is an intense game of cat and mouse as Darby tries to figure out who's telling the truth and who's lying. Thrown into the middle of it all is an ironic game of Bullshit, which does a surprisingly good job of calling out the game's bluffs and showing who is good at telling the truth and who isn't.
At the halfway point, a few well-executed twists really help up the ante, leading to a grand final act reminiscent of Hush.
While the message in this movie is all over the shop, it works well for the most part. The ending hints that gun violence is bad, but also throws a lot of shade at US police. I won't go into spoilers, but suffice it to say, not everyone makes it to the finish line here.
Amount Of Tension
Despite the slightly lackluster third act, where certain elements appear just for shock value, there's actually a good amount of tension that builds throughout the film and builds to a lovely little crescendo.
It's not as paranoia-inducing or intense as The Thing, nor is it as clever as Hush. Instead, this movie exists somewhere in the realm of decent — and should make for a good Friday night movie.
With a tense atmosphere, good motivations for the characters, and a simple but effective premise, No Exit is worth your time for 90 minutes.
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