I am an absolute sucker for a contained thriller. I love a film that gives me a front-row seat to a harrowing battle of wits and endurance. Something about the predator versus prey dynamic always gets my blood pumping. Brian Netto and Adam Schindler’s new film Don’t Move did exactly that. This flick doesn’t reinvent the wheel but still serves up plenty of intense chase sequences, immersive acting by both leads, and an ending you won’t soon forget.
Here’s the setup for Don’t Move:
Yellowstone actor Kelsey Asbille features as the lead character, Iris. Asbille plays a grieving mother contemplating taking her own life at the lookout point where her son previously met a tragic end. As she’s contemplating jumping, Iris meets Richard (Finn Wittrock), a man who seemingly wants to help. Richard attempts to talk Iris out of making a choice from which she cannot return. Iris is initially annoyed by Richard’s interference but ultimately sees merit in his words. She decides to walk back from the edge of the cliff, only to learn that Richard’s insistence that she reconsider wasn’t altruistic. After revealing his true colors, Richard injects Iris with a paralytic and throws her in the back of his car. From the moment the drug enters her system, Iris has 20 minutes before her body becomes immobile, rendering her completely helpless.
I will be the first to say that Don’t Move is not terribly original. It’s a setup we’ve seen multiple variations of before. However, the film applies a couple of new additions to the formula that keep this fast-paced effort from feeling too familiar. Moreover, the tension level is so high that I found myself fully engaged in the narrative from start to finish.
What sets Don’t Move apart from similar efforts?
The first piece that differentiates this offering from comparable fare is the addition of the paralytic drug. Screenwriters T.J. Cimfel and David White apply that extra complication to raise the stakes and create what seems like an insurmountable obstacle. Rather than just holding Iris captive, Richard takes away her ability to move. Putting her in such an unenviable situation gives Iris a chance to endear herself to the audience by demonstrating some serious ingenuity as she attempts to outwit her captor.
The other aspect that reads as somewhat fresh is Iris’ character arc. She begins her journey wanting to die. That allows her the chance for a profound onscreen journey. It’s empowering to see her fight back and set the precedent that if she dies, it will be on her terms. That allows for some commentary on the human condition, the will to live, and more. That subtext gives the film a level of depth we don’t always see in this cinematic niche.
A strong showing from Asbille compliments Iris’ dynamic character arc. She is instantly believable as a grief-stricken mother on the verge of suicide. And she is equally convincing as she pivots into survival mode. That’s especially impressive when considering that Iris is largely immobile for portions of the film and can only move her eyes. Still, Asbille uses her eyes to tell us everything we need to know when she’s otherwise incapacitated.
A great protagonist is almost always better with an equally effective villain to complement their altruism with ill intent. Enter Finn Wittrock’s Richard. Like Asbille, Wittrock also starts and ends in very different places. He is so convincing as a concerned onlooker that I started to wonder if a different character was going to enter the narrative to take up the antagonist role. No such turn of events transpires. But Wittrock perfectly plays the transition from well-meaning bystander to stone-cold creep. He brings a toxic level of entitlement to the character, never becoming a scenery-chewing caricature.
As much as I love an overacting villain, it’s hard to keep the narrative grounded in terror when the antagonist is careening off the rails. And Wittrock carefully walks that line, always reading as properly sinister.
The final showdown between the two leads is also quite compelling. We see Iris call back to a chilling remark Richard made earlier in the film. It flips the context and gives the viewer something to chew on. That’s all the more I will say about that. Because we don’t want to veer into spoiler territory. But you will know precisely what I mean when you watch the film.
The final word:
At its core, Don’t Move is a thrilling ordeal that delivers nonstop tension, a modicum of depth often absent from films of this sort, and dynamic lead characters. If you dig a self-contained thriller, navigate to Netflix and give this one a shot!
Summary
Though not overly original, ‘Don’t Move’ is an entertaining diversion with intense action sequences.
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