Weekend Watch: Knock At The Cabin
M. Night Shyamalan conjures a difficult decision
Image Credit: Universal Pictures
Welcome to the latest edition of Weekend Watch, in which I recommend (or occasionally warn against) movies or TV shows I’ve been checking out. This week, Dave Bautista delivers a dangerous dilemma. Follow James on Twitter: @jamwhite
When you’ve become known for your twisty thrillers, it can be both a blessing and a curse. Audiences approach M. Night Shyamalan’s work with a question forming in their heads: how will he pull the rug out from under us this time?
Knock At The Cabin sets its doomy stall out from the start, even as it undercuts that with the seemingly placid image of young Wen (Kristen Cui) happily collecting grasshoppers in a jar, noting the names she invents for them (and their moods) in a journal. But her fun is interrupted when the mysterious Leonard (Dave Bautista) comes stalking out of the woods and starts talking to her. Against her better judgement, Wen starts talking to him.
As it turns out, Leonard and his companions –– Rupert Grint’s angry Redmond, Abby Quinn’s nervy Adrienne and Nikki Amuka-Bird’s compassionate Sabrina –– have a singular mission on their mind. They’re determined to break into the cabin that Wen’s adoptive fathers Eric (Jonathan Groff) and Andrew (Ben Aldridge) rented for a family holiday. And to ask the family to make a deadly choice: unless they voluntarily kill one of their number, an apocalyptic fate will befall humanity.
Though Eric and Andrew are naturally suspicious, Leonard and the others offer proof when the men refuse to choose… And that’s all I’ll say about the story.
The film certainly has a lot going for it on the technical front. Though it (mostly) represents Shyamalan working at a stripped-down level with one primary location and a small cast. It’s handsomely shot, with some clever cinematography and a deeply unsettling soundscape.
An interesting choice is how the violence in the film is handled –– the director never lets the camera dwell on it, which makes it that much more impactful.
On the performance front, Bautista is a compelling mix of menace and sensitivity, his conflicted Leonard proof yet again why he’s been working with the likes of Denis Villeneuve, Rian Johnson and now Shyamalan. He’s consistently showing range, switching easily between the comedic and the dramatic in his work.
Yet the whole cast does good work, Groff and Aldridge’s nervy energy adding to the tension. Grint, Amuka-Bird and Quinn also get the space to create something interesting with their characters as the narrative moves along.
It’s the story where I feel the movie lets itself down to some degree. Exactly why is hard to get into without major spoilers, but it certainly doesn’t commit to the narrative the way Paul Tremblay’s source novel does. As the situation ratchets up, it loses some steam, seeking deeper meaning yet grinding down towards a conclusion that never felt satisfying.
This is far from the least of Shyamalan’s efforts, but it mostly put me in mind of a beautifully constructed puzzle box with a disappointing prize in the middle.
Knock At The Cabin is in cinemas today.