Say what you will about the number of recipe films whose basic ingredients are rich people in beautiful houses who are raided by gangsters and held hostage in their own home only to turn the stakes on the perpetrators, but in the hands of director Joel Schumacher it is a pretty dependable fact that the intensity of the film will last form the opening titles to the closing credits. TRESPASS is not a brilliant or unique film, but it is a quality piece of work. It has a script By Karl Gajdusek with some fine lines and quality twists that keep the audience guessing and enough innovative bits of action that make the film seem fresh (even if the behavior of all concerned is not to swift!).
Kyle Miller (Nicholas Cage) appears obsessed with his business life - marketing diamonds - and comes home to his mansion (designed by his wife) where wife Sarah (Nicole Kidman) seems to be needing more than an income to make her life complete. They share a teenage daughter Avery (Liana Liberato) who is typically making her own decisions about socializing despite her parents objections: she sneaks out of the highly security guarded house to go to a naughty party. In the rush of all this there is a call at the door which when opened shows us four masked bandits who are there to rob the safe. The thugs are a strange assortment: the main speaker is Elias (the talented Ben Mendelsohn), his druggie girlfriend Petal (Jordana Spiro), Eiias' young brother Jonah (the hunky rising star Cam Gigandet), and the heavy Ty (Dash Mihok). The crooks want the safe opened but Kyle refuses, beginning to bargain with the thugs until the truth of his financial situation is made known. Sarah wants Kyle to open the safe, attempting to hide her own secret that involves Jonah. Avery sneaks back home to find her parents beaten and held as hostages and all the secrets of all the cast are gradually revealed - secrets that lead to an unexpected resolution.
Nicholas Cage is Nicholas Cage, and it works for him. The real star turns in the film are those by Ben Mendelsohn and Cam Gigandet. Nicole Kidman provides solid support in her bifurcated role. The movie is no great shakes, but it is a tense evening's entertainment. One surprise comes in the closing credits: they are rolled with some very soothing and beautiful movie music by David Buckley instead of the usual hardrock noisy song that most of these movies select to bring the film to a close. Small kudo but worth it.
Grady Harp
Kyle Miller (Nicholas Cage) appears obsessed with his business life - marketing diamonds - and comes home to his mansion (designed by his wife) where wife Sarah (Nicole Kidman) seems to be needing more than an income to make her life complete. They share a teenage daughter Avery (Liana Liberato) who is typically making her own decisions about socializing despite her parents objections: she sneaks out of the highly security guarded house to go to a naughty party. In the rush of all this there is a call at the door which when opened shows us four masked bandits who are there to rob the safe. The thugs are a strange assortment: the main speaker is Elias (the talented Ben Mendelsohn), his druggie girlfriend Petal (Jordana Spiro), Eiias' young brother Jonah (the hunky rising star Cam Gigandet), and the heavy Ty (Dash Mihok). The crooks want the safe opened but Kyle refuses, beginning to bargain with the thugs until the truth of his financial situation is made known. Sarah wants Kyle to open the safe, attempting to hide her own secret that involves Jonah. Avery sneaks back home to find her parents beaten and held as hostages and all the secrets of all the cast are gradually revealed - secrets that lead to an unexpected resolution.
Nicholas Cage is Nicholas Cage, and it works for him. The real star turns in the film are those by Ben Mendelsohn and Cam Gigandet. Nicole Kidman provides solid support in her bifurcated role. The movie is no great shakes, but it is a tense evening's entertainment. One surprise comes in the closing credits: they are rolled with some very soothing and beautiful movie music by David Buckley instead of the usual hardrock noisy song that most of these movies select to bring the film to a close. Small kudo but worth it.
Grady Harp