No Good Deed (DVD REVIEW)
No
Good Deed
DVD Review by Kam Williams
Headline: Taraji P. Henson and Idris Elba Match Wits in Riveting
Thriller
While this movie is by no
means a masterpiece, it is nevertheless a tautly-wound nail-biter which keeps
you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end. And yes, there is a
humdinger of a revelation during the denouement, not a totally preposterous
development but rather a plausible one which was merely
cleverly-concealed.
The movie marks the
theatrical directorial debut of Sam Miller, who is best known for Luther, the
brilliant BBC-TV series featuring Idris Elba in the title role for which he won
a Golden Globe in 2012. The two collaborate again here, with Idris playing
Colin Evans, a serial killer who, at the point of departure, slays a couple of
prison guards during a daring escape from a Tennessee prison.
He makes his way to his
girlfriend Alexis’ (Kate del Castillo) house in Atlanta only to murder her, too, when he
learns she’s already involved with another man. Colin remains so blinded with
rage as he drives away that he crashes his stolen car into a tree along a
suburban country road.
He subsequently knocks on
the door of Terri Granger (Taraji P. Henson), an attorney-turned-stay at home
mom whose husband (Henry Simmons) has conveniently just left town with his
father away for a weekend golf getaway. Against the former prosecutor’s better
judgment, she lets the tall, dark and handsome stranger enter the house, and it
isn’t long before there’s trouble in paradise.
After all as the proverb
suggested by the title warns, “No good deed goes unpunished.” Accordingly,
Terri and her two young kids find themselves in the clutches of a desperate
maniac until the protective mother’s maternal and survival instincts kick into
high gear.
No Good Deed was ostensibly
inspired by The Desperate Hours, a suspiciously-similar Broadway play starring
Paul Newman which was first adapted to the big screen in 1955 starring Humphrey
Bogart, and remade in 1990 with Sir Anthony Hopkins. Thanks to Mr. Elba’s
menacing intensity, a potentially mediocre variation on the theme ends up
elevated into a tension-filled gutwrencher his loyal fans won’t want to miss.
Very Good (3 stars)
Rated
PG-13 for violence and profanity
Running
time: 84 minutes
Distributor:
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Blu-ray
Extras: Three featurettes: Making a Thriller; The Thrill of a Good Fight; and
Good Samaritan.
To
see a trailer for No Good Deed, visit:
To
order No Good Deed on Blu-ray, visit:
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