To be honest I wasn't expecting very much out of this. Yes, it had a pretty solid cast with Nicolas Cage and Nicole Kidman as the leads, but the premise seemed overdone and therefore not all that interesting. A home invasion movie? Another one? It seems to me that there's been a lot of home invasion movies done in recent years, and how much more could possibly be done with that basic premise. The bad guys are going to break in to the rich family's home and be vicious - and eventually they're going to lose. That's how it happens. Every time. So, no, I wasn't expecting very much out of this, and for the first while that's exactly what I got. It seemed like the stereotypical home invasion movie. Yawn!
I have to say, though, that the story picks up speed. There's a lot of twists and turns involved, and - more to the point - there are so many lies being told by almost everyone involved in this that there comes a point when you aren't really sure who's telling the truth and who's not, or why what's happening is actually happening. So I give credit to those who put this together for taking a very well worn premise and turning it into something that actually did capture and hold my attention.
Cage and Kidman were both pretty good in their roles - Cage as a diamond dealer, and Kidman as his wife. I didn't find anything spectacular about their performances, but both were solid, and the movie makes all those twists and turns, and eventually the lies are sorted out and the end result is a pretty decent take on that well worn home invasion scenario. (7/10)
I have to say, though, that the story picks up speed. There's a lot of twists and turns involved, and - more to the point - there are so many lies being told by almost everyone involved in this that there comes a point when you aren't really sure who's telling the truth and who's not, or why what's happening is actually happening. So I give credit to those who put this together for taking a very well worn premise and turning it into something that actually did capture and hold my attention.
Cage and Kidman were both pretty good in their roles - Cage as a diamond dealer, and Kidman as his wife. I didn't find anything spectacular about their performances, but both were solid, and the movie makes all those twists and turns, and eventually the lies are sorted out and the end result is a pretty decent take on that well worn home invasion scenario. (7/10)