One day a stranger knocked on the house of a family that lost a son in the war. He introduced himself as David, a friend of the deceased soldier, told a couple of funny stories about him and received an invitation to stay. Handsome, friendly and smiling, David is slightly professional - "Actually, ma'am!", "Not at all, sir" - but exceptionally charming and polite. He has long conversations with his mother, drinks beer with his father, protects his younger brother from bullies and unobtrusively flatters his sister. Getting into family issues. Shows a willingness to help. Transparently blue eyes on a tanned face are so clean and serene, the smile is open and sincere, and there is not the slightest falsehood in words, not the slightest roughness in behavior, so, perhaps, that is why when looking at it, intuition strikes from a cry, warning of danger? And yet what originally happened was noble and touchingly sweet - until it happened.
Upside down — side two, dark
Human behavior is based on the interaction of many factors of the basic order such as social and historical norms, national customs and established foundations, and specific personal characteristics - family traditions, personal attitude and momentary mood. Therefore, a person who is guided by a single unchanging pattern of behavior - the protection of himself and his history - at least interests and puzzles one of his differences, otherness. Setting the goal, choosing the means, calculating the optimal way to achieve, implementation. No ethical doubts, no emotional attachments, only a clear program for achieving the goal. In a sense, David is genuinely admired as a perfectly fine-tuned mechanism, devoid of such subjective bugs as memories of the past and hopes for the future, which are inherent in the ordinary person. That is why the character of Dan Stevens can not be classified as purely negative. The concepts of good and evil simply do not apply to him, but not because he is motivationally outside them or because he is inherent in the romantically elusive “charm of evil” (although not without this), just he is absolutely purposeful, consistent and unambiguous, that in an era of ambiguous situations, decisions and people is perceived as a rarity, a rarity, straightforward as a knife blow – painful, but quickly, and therefore merciful, and therefore honestly, and therefore deserves respect.
Outlook, external perspective
At first glance, "The Guest" is the perfect embodiment of a pure action movie without the often accompanying signs of drama. A contour outline of prehistory, a complete unknown denouement. The first half of the film acts as a kind of background, escalating tension to the half of the second. And this second dynamic half is photographically beautiful. There is no sense of far-fetchedness, tension or artificial staging of frames, although logically many holes shine through in history. However, purely visually, the battle scenes are perfect in their alignment, external and internal completeness, the case when “to reduce the ray or shadow to take away” cannot by definition. General style and atmospheric integrity are attached, transferring the cinema to the category of aesthetically perfect phenomena, which can be simply observed.
Inside out, when it is not what it seems
Combining all the typical features of a Class B action movie, The Guest nevertheless deserves closer attention for at least 2 reasons. The narrative is linear, but not primitive, if only because there is no unambiguous bipolarity, confrontation, as there are no actual opposing sides. The story of the almost lazy life-writing of the family turns into a large-caliber bloody frenzy so suddenly that the viewer does not have time to regroup, “pity” some and “hate” others. As a result, the second part of the film turns into a game for everyone, which is impossible by definition. In addition, having at first glance a very indistinct illogical scenario, "The Guest" hides not even an ace, but a joker in the sleeve, giving a completely adequate answer to the main question - and how did it all begin? Moreover, the director Adam Wingard does not build on this the intrigue itself, but offers the viewer to choose for himself - whether to treat his film as a "kill-kill" fighter or a little look and collect a holistic story. However, in both cases, the "Guest" remains visually spectacular and meaningfully attractive, albeit somewhat immoral product.
Director Adam Wingard has established himself as a good director, shooting “You’re the End”, a horror thriller with an interesting main character and with a rather amusing plot twist in the final. Not that this film was a new word in the genre, but its task to entertain the viewer, she successfully fulfilled. “Guest”, as well as the previous work of the director is not a new word in the genre, but very successfully exploits all the well-forgotten old.
In The Guest, it seems, Wingard decided to pay homage to the old militants, where everything usually rested on the brutal and unkillable main characters who alone could easily defeat the SWAT squad with almost bare hands. That's a waste. The interesting and exciting first half of the film is replaced by a boring and drawn-out second. Why was it necessary to change the atmospheric and interesting thriller to a medium action movie is completely unclear. The story is also not as smooth as I would like. Many questions that have arisen in the course of action will not be answered. The final seems to not really want to scold, but he gives too much thrash.
But all these disadvantages easily outweigh only two huge pluses. The first plus is the sinister protagonist David, played by Dan Stevens. Stevens' acting easily outshines everyone else. Watching David perform it is a real pleasure. The second plus, of course, is the soundtrack, which is not even worth talking about, so perfectly selected music. After viewing it is impossible to imagine a scene without the appropriate musical accompaniment.
As a result, we have a really good action movie - a thriller, sometimes uneven, with a thrash finale, a whole bunch of plot innuendoes but a great game by Dan Stevens and just a chic soundtrack.
In a quiet town in the family comes a colleague of the son from Afghanistan, and then there is a series of interesting moments – what could be better and easier to tie a suitable thriller? Of course, the whole concept and content of the form of Adam Wingard’s “Guest” (" You are finished) will remind you strikingly of the works of the Dane Nicholas Refn, and “Faceless” John Wu. Only with that difference, screenwriter Simon Barrett for eight weeks written a story, most resembling a simple plot, where the main character, returning from service, becomes a fair defender, but with a small reservation, with him not everything is so simple.
This is not the type who is calm and shy, inside it is hidden a secret, improved by the efforts of actor Dan Stevens, thanks to him a completely new character came out, watching his development, chewing all the nails on his legs and hands.
If the music and background of “The Guest”, a tribute to the 80th, then the plot and the story itself it is a pure and not clouded extreme thriller of the twenty-first century, where there is a place for explosions, internal drive, and most importantly a good intrigue that can stun even the sophisticated viewer. The first half is so perfect, the only minus, there is no aftertaste, but the music from him remains delightful, there is some magic in it.
Adam Wingard can be called one of the most promising modern directors, shooting original, stylish, exciting thrillers. “Guest” has so far become the pinnacle of his work, although it has not received greater fame than “You are finished!”
This is the case when the film:
1) Develops its incandescent gradually. The initial intrigue turns into tension; the tension is replaced by a close concentration, fraught with nervous biting of everything that comes to hand; concentration, in turn, is transformed into the aforementioned heat, when you no longer know who will survive and how it will end. If many thrillers try to function according to this principle, it happens that they succeed with a stretch, which makes the action of an unprecedented innovation suddenly turn into a mainstream slasher. "Guest" retains respect for the viewer and his interests, even the ordinary cliches of the genre, presenting in a special, author's light.
2) Continues entirely on one hero. The controversial soldier becomes the center of attention of both the public and secondary characters, fortunately not too sharply faded against the background of David (thanks to the professionalism of the director). For the embodiment of the personality of David, it is worth giving all the credit to Dan Stevens. The cool blue-eyed blonde struck with his play and charisma to such an extent that his appearance every time on the screen from the first scenes to the very end is an indescribable pleasure. There aren't even any other words here. Bravo.
In addition to the two principles I mentioned, The Guest is beautiful in itself, as the work of a talented director who managed to uniquely, tastefully present the story of a dangerous stranger whose motives and past are a mystery, the answer to which you look forward to all the time, while David turns from a cute armed sheep into a ruthless wolf. The main character here changes shades like a chameleon: at one moment you become completely on his side, filled with some childishly naive respect, and at another you want to stay away from him as much as possible. If possible,
"The Guest" is great in both calmness and dynamism, and one flows into another with enviable success, without disturbing the rhythm of the film. Such a mixture gives rise to an exquisite, wonderfully tailored thriller that can simultaneously fascinate and keep in suspense. Therefore, Adam Wingard at this stage of his career can already be listed as a master of the action genre, and, hopefully, it will only get better.
8 out of 10
Having identified all the most visible, acute and characteristic trends in the work of Adam Wingard, who for a long period gravitated mainly to horror dialectics, one thing will become clear first of all: during the time when the venerable director dabbled in demythification and deprivation of the entire modern horror genre, which now exists at the junction of extreme and sterility, gradually transferring it from the curves of postmodernism to the more even path of realism, visionism and poststructuralism, the director managed to strengthen and strengthen it at this stage.
"Guest", the last major project of the director - not a cinematic maxim, but very close to this - is also remarkable for the fact that the film is completely different from the previous creations of Wingard not only due to the denial of the usual stylistic eclecticism and not even because of its multigenre, but solely on the fact that the tape is easily interpreted as a ornate multilayer parable, leaving its semantic threads in the root mythology of the States. Wingard in “The Guest”, despite the diligent ecstasy of ultraviolence, does not raise in the picture quite acute questions of realism, because any direct or even indirect links with reality in the picture are absent – and if in its old-school staged manner the film can still be helpfully paralleled with “Drive” Refn, rhymes in turn with “Taxi Driver”. Scorsese, the deep philosophy of motives that guide the dangerously beautiful stranger, goes back to both Hitchcock’s “Shadow of Doubt”, from where the fabulous formula about the “stranger in the house” went to walk in the cinematic forest, and to Pierre Paolo Pasolini’s “Theorem”, and the connection with the latter seems more self-evident, because even in “You are finished!” Wingard successfully mocked the behavioral stereotyping of the entire middle class. The director’s reflections on life and on those sociopolitical realities from which the timeless hero of Dan Stevens came out, whose name is David – no more than a formality and convention (however, in the film everything is conditional and brought to intentional hyperaestheticism) – are of the nature, if not optional, then definitely untimely, because the internal and external space of the film are united in their disunity. Wingard states, but does not provoke. Asks questions, but doesn’t answer, because most of the questions in the film are either rhetorical or existential.
David unceremoniously invades someone else’s living space, violates the inviolable boundaries of his personal life, rejects the eternal “my home is my fortress” not only in the name of his altruistic and misanthropic lawlessness (Dominic Moll in “Harry is a friend who wishes you well” spoke on this topic quite ironically, for example, and “The Guest” stands on an equal footing with Moll’s painting in its semantic saturation), but simply because he wants to change the established course of life in the American suburb, preserved in its conservativeness, where the clings are conditioned with clings. He is the bearer of free will, but for him there are no limits to this freedom at all, but at the same time David is not a creative, but a purely destructive force, in the end awakening in everyone who encounters him the most base, daring and vile. Initially, however, it seems that in this way, through the rendering of good services by force and sex, the hero, deprived of the present and future (his past is also very doubtful, but who thinks about it, drowning literally immediately in the blue abyss of his eyes?!), tries to atone for someone else’s war, wash away with less blood even more, but the further, the more obvious becomes the moral impasse into which he drives everyone but himself, naturally breaking all imaginable taboos (the unthinkable modestly remain behind a stylish frame casting a purple neon of eighties). David, undoubtedly, is an obvious archetype, built nevertheless very carefully into the system of other, much more extensive author's coordinates, thanks to which the film in the finale begins to lean towards a sharp anti-American statement, for for Wingard, the world of the American suburbs is a world of dummies, masks and falsehoods, and David came here to tear off the covers and make people live. But before they do, they have to realize that the cost of realizing their own worth is too high. In the hero of Dan Stevens, it is easy to guess the images of the fatal hero-lover, tempter and sophisticated, Mephistopheles in a world without a single Faust, the classic hero-lone, going from nowhere to nowhere, but changing radically the lives of all those who came into contact with him, without changing himself (he is a constant in the world of changeable components, queens among pawns and lambs) and even the Casanedonic Wanderer on the way to Knowledge.
A frightening psychological thriller, full of good techno music and looking very good. About the quality of this movie, says the rating – in the absence of big stars, the movie turned out to be spectacular, and interesting, and quite tense.
It all begins with the fact that an old army friend of the deceased Caleb, will come to his doorstep to visit his family and help in any way possible. Having won the trust of the mother and father, as well as the youngest son, He will begin to restore order, helping with the household and supporting each of the members of the Peterson family.
At first, quite acceptable measures for the guest, and indeed look very caring and quite usual. But over time, it becomes clear that the guest has too many skeletons in the closet. He has no documents, he always carries a knife, he is fair (the case in a bar with teenagers and in a school with her headmaster), but cruel.
Soon, young Anna, to find out more about the mysterious stranger, will call the unit where her brother and his colleague served to find out who settled in their house. The truth will be terrifying and deadly. From now on, the Petersons' lives will be in danger, and good-natured David will cease to be a nice companion boy. There is already blood on his hands.
I liked the movie from the beginning. As soon as I saw the blue credits with the title, I thought that the movie was shot in the style of the 80s. And when I heard the musical accompaniment, I once again made sure of it. The music here is really good and it really reminds the viewer of the dashing militants of the 80-90s.
That's what, and for the soundtrack creators a separate respect - thanks to her "Guest" and watch more fun and nostalgia rolls seriously.
“Guest” is also somewhat reminiscent of “Traveler” – an elusive psychopathic maniac, a town that will have a hard time meeting him, deserted landscapes in which lurks sinister silence, hopelessness, because help, if it comes, is not the fact that you will already need to help someone.
The film does not fully reveal the legend of the Guest, only casually telling about what happened to him in the past. Nor will the viewer know what kind of mysterious corporation was experimenting on David. Personally, I don’t think it’s necessary in principle. The “guest” is not about some government conspiracy, government within the government and global conspiracy, but about an incident that took place somewhere in the wilderness of one of the sunny states of the United States.
The film also shows that you should not let a stranger into the house. Even if he tearfully asks and says that he is an old friend of a family member. I don't know who he really is. This, by the way, clearly speaks and one of the series “Gotham”, when Alfred (butler), let in the mansion Waynes his old fighting comrade.
Look at you. I do not impose my opinion on anyone.
The writer and the director got high and decided to make a “story thriller”. For greater fear, everything was timed to Halloween, so that pumpkins lay everywhere and it was generally creepy. It’s as if someone has just finished filming courses and decided to work on a moth-eaten template.
The main character with intonations of the serpent tempter from the Garden of Eden delivered. “Eat an apple, Eve. I'll show you my beautiful torso. There should be a seductive look under the predatory eyebrows.
Honestly, the plot is a real facepalm, it's just messed up. Perhaps the same thing could have been done more intelligently. So that in the end it was not funny, despite even some banality of the plot. There are a lot of gaps that could be filled, explanations to choose more clear and adequate. I just had to refine the script a little bit. Someone was in a hurry to make this movie.
The man who chose the soundtrack. You're cool. You have a great musical taste. A director should just bow to you for helping make it, say, not a good movie, relatively watchable. No, honestly. Perturbator and Clan of Xymox in OSTx are strong.
Despite all the flaws and shortcomings of the time spent on the film, I do not regret. The rating was raised for a beautiful girl, beautiful soundtracks and purple wallpaper in the room.
6 out of 10
A little over an hour, the film was perfect: an intriguing story centered on the Peterson family and its guest – an incredibly charming, charismatic, brutal stranger David (Dan Stevens), who introduced himself as a friend of the son of inconsolable parents who died in the war. Gradually, the plot is gaining momentum, David, revealing various facets of his character, arouses remarkable interest in himself and, despite his actions of dubious morality, we are ready to forgive him literally cannibalism.
An observant viewer will see in the “Guest” curious allusions to “Faceless” and the wonderful “Drive”. In the first case, the bright antihero shows a funny humanity, acting as a defender and, in some ways, a mentor to the younger Peterson - a quiet, unrequited boy who is treated by high school students. In the second case, the “ears” of Nicholas Winding Refn’s masterpiece are pleasantly fondled with memories: the silent, strong, invincible hero acts unerringly and fatally, striking with his strength and honesty. As well as in "Drive", in "The Guest" a huge role was played by a luxurious soundtrack, gently immersing us in the aesthetics of the 80s.
But twenty minutes before the final credits, something happened to the director. Driven only by one known motive, he decided to give his picture some fantasy and through the mouth of a fantastic African-American laid out a long-awaited version of who David is really dear to our heart and what he is, they say, so bad. And this explanation struck me at the heart with its inconsistency with the previous narrative. Again, allusions were asked, this time unpleasantly offensive: Van Damme and Dolph Lundrgen flashed before their eyes. I would like to address Mr. Adam Wingard with the words of his own heroine: What the fuck? Why did you ruin such a luxurious raspberries? Why did you turn a refined action for a woman’s heart into such a labuda?
In general, the film left behind strong mixed feelings, which are definitely quite difficult to assess. But for the image created by Dan Stevens, and for the luxurious musical accompaniment, the picture can be evaluated exclusively positively.
The family lost their son in the Middle East war and everyone still mourns him. But one day, the family meets a mysterious stranger on the doorstep of their home, who introduces himself as their son’s army comrade. He tells inconsolable parents that he came to help, fulfilling the last will of his friend.
The story, which begins as a standard drama about the former military, is really surprising, whose merit is the work of the director Adam Wingard, who directed a very successful horror film. You're next", and the lead actor Dan Stevens, emotionally played the role of the mysterious David, about whom you can talk endlessly. Benevolence, courtesy, politeness, coupled with a crazy look, a minimum of words and an obsessive smile - such a portrait is suitable only for killer maniacs, and the actions of the main character, indeed, shudder. Almost the entire film is based on the charisma of Dan Stevens, who not only brilliantly performed his role in the acting plan, but also prepared for the film physically. I think nice ladies will be delighted with the torso and magical look of the main character. Something similar we have seen in “Drive” with Ryan Gosling, where the silent hero also invaded someone else’s life with the desire to help. Inspiration of neo-noir Nicholas Winding Refna is evident.
The music gives a special atmosphere to the film. The dark notes of darkwave, the frantic rhythm of techno and the mechanical repetitive motifs of synth-pop completely immerse in the rapidly developing plot. The insanity that is happening on the screen is similar only to the game Hotline Miami, and liters of blood barely reach Tarantino.
The main mystery of the thriller Adam Wingard is the cause of the actions of the main character, the answer to which you are unlikely to find, and the latest footage will cause all the same WTF IS THIS? But you will see a beautiful atmosphere, great music and a wordless protagonist who is unrealistically cool.
7 out of 10
It’s a great movie to get a little nervous. Of the unambiguous advantages: the right dose of anxiety. A young strange military comes to visit the family of a colleague, where, in addition to mom and dad, a beautiful daughter and a stuffed teenager-son grow up. The hero undertakes to help a boy with school problems - success! Decides to organize the personal life of the blonde - Oppa, problem The girl becomes interested in the past of the mysterious guest.
The story of the Savior becoming the Victim and then the Persecutor is not new. Feature ' Guest' that David is not going to become a victim. He will do good to the last, until he dies in the fog of the school hall, turned into a surreal disco for Halloween.
There are no positive or negative heroes here. There are stubborn and very stubborn. Whose character will be stronger is unclear until the last seconds. By the way, the excellent soundtrack of the film adds a special charm to the last 10-15 minutes of action.
The simple American Peterson family consisted of five people: parents Laura and Spencer (Kelly and Orser), 18-year-old daughter Anna (Monroe), eldest son Caleb, who went to war, and youngest son Luke (Meyer), experiencing problems with peers in school. After the news of Caleb’s death comes to the Petersons’ house, a man named David (Stevens) appears on his doorstep – a smiling and kind guy who appears to be a co-worker of the deceased.
I can clearly imagine the following picture: the director Adam Wingard takes a glass in his hands, writes on it with a marker “The Guest”, puts an interesting, intriguing tie-up there, adds original, undrawn, electronic music, mixes the talented play of a young actor Dan Stevens, seasons it all with a pinch of good military-scientific mysticism, sniffs and with incredible pleasure ... pours it all down the toilet. Only with some incredible penchant for destructive behavior can I justify the fact that a really interesting and fascinating thriller in front of a bewildered audience, in the person of me, suddenly turned into a cheap and stupid buffoon. Oh, Adam Wingard, you're normal, aren't you?
No, I understand everything, I want to do something fresh, interesting, bring some new colors to the genre. A lot of people want to. After all, there are successful examples: the same “Hut in the Woods” and “Homicide Holidays”, for example. But to take a great story, to cut off the end of it, and to scotch the sloppy ending of the squalid fourth part of Scream is not to create something new. Even the bad film “You are finished!” of the same Wingard and then did not leave at the end of such a keen sense of loss – it was all done in a single, albeit terrible, style. Here... What are you doing here?
And really, the first three-quarters of the film on my scale of ratings deserved at least eight. I liked how intrigue is whipped up, how well Dan Stevens portrays his character, who managed with one eye to transform his character from a glorious good man into a mysterious and clearly dangerous rascal. The first alarming “bell” came when the military appeared. But it was still tolerable, and it was something of an early Stephen King with his Flaming Eye. But then... I don’t have any spoilers, though.
In short, “The Guest” is an interesting, strong film, which in the last quarter of it most brazenly merges the director into a gutter, turning into a parody of the genre. That's a hell of a pity.
I'll be brief. I definitely liked it. And especially with its stylistics and deliberate “non-seriousness”.
Dan Stevens is an actor about whom many wonderful things have already been said (I fully support it), but I was rooting for the main character.
Mike Monroe is a very unusual girl, athlete, beauty and “hooligan” in life – here she played the same unusual Anna, who, by the way, has the only brain from the whole family. For good or not, it is difficult to say the second rather than the first, because to get to the bottom of things is not a grateful matter, and the well-known saying “you know less, you sleep better” has not been canceled. But that's not even the point.
The fact is that watching the relationship between the two main characters is a pleasure - a kind of game of "cat and mouse", tense, frightening and fascinating, with a "sparkle" and at the same time constantly "on the edge of the knife", because both instantly recognize in each other enemies, such "best enemies", in one frame talking heart to the charming music of Clan of Xymox (while the viewer almost feels the "string" of a completely special relationship stretching between them), and in the other - already hunting for each other (under the no less amazing track Annie/br>.
The director clearly focused on their relationship, but either it was intended, or a little did not finalize – a little lack of “depth”.
There are absolutely no claims to the plot as a whole - thrash in its pure form, cheerful and downhill, and the finale, although many are dissatisfied with it, liked the most, especially the incredible contrast between the charming melody and the brutality that was happening in the frame (the director styled the song and literally transferred its words to the screen “in his” vision, perfectly showing the relationship of the main characters).
Definitely want to continue, and even better translate into the format of the series.
And, yes, the soundtrack is a masterpiece!!! No wonder the disc that Anna recorded David, so he liked it.
I haven’t had such a great time watching a movie. And to explain this uniqueness of the picture is not possible. This is the case when at first glance there is nothing special in the screen action itself, but the combination of a dynamic plot, beautiful play, great music and nerve, on which the film is performed, awakens something ancient and predatory inside.
How do you describe the main character, David? "A storm in a closed vessel!" Outwardly, he is completely calm, but the contradiction hidden in him: exemplaryness and the presence of a task make him unpredictable. As they say, the “flawless soldier” made a machine for murder. So, what's the motive? There's a technical failure, there's no motive. Something brought in from the outside, like a parasite, makes David hostage to some idea of fix, which does not belong to him, but is a side effect of a "foolish experiment." He has no motive, no strict logic in his actions, he has a single task - destruction.
In a sense, the plot is logically incomplete. There is no backstory, the characters of the characters are not fully disclosed, but this is not required, because the focus is not on causes, but consequences.
But the motives that drive the rest of the participants in the action are very curved. In particular, the heroine Mikey Monroe, who with her excessive curiosity, pressed the self-destruct button. And the arrival of an armed detachment of thugs only aggravated the situation not only of the Peterson family, but also of the entire provincial town.
As the saying goes, “The sick are not offended.” So David does not cause any negative emotions, even pity him. And the seeming futility of many deaths, so what to expect from a poorly assembled universal soldier. I didn’t have the good fortune to watch Dan Stevens, who played the lead role, before, and I can honestly say that I really liked him in this role, just “ice and fire”. No intention, but really cool, brutal, dangerous, sexy, in general, damn good.
8 out of 10
“Guest” is a new creation from the creators of the films “You are finished!” and the first two parts of the film almanac Z / L / O. Unlike their old works, the creators have grown a little older, deciding to change the genre from horror to thriller and we can safely say that the only thriller they managed to shoot better than their previous paintings. But everything in order.
The plot of the film tells us about the Peterson family (spouses Spencer and Laura and their children Anna and Luke, as well as Caleb, who went to war), to which one day a certain David Collins - a former soldier, whose goal was to come to this family on the promise of Caleb, and personally say that their son died, as well as help his family. David is very humble, kind to everyone, and ready to help as much as he can. But one day, Anna decides to learn more about David and this curiosity eventually turns the good-natured David into a completely different person.
The film was directed by American Adam Wingard, who in most cases does not make the best films, except for his latest work (thriller "You're finished!"), but as I see, things have gone uphill, and his new project and I can even call the best in his small career. "Guest" looks very pleasant and not as simple as it seems - the film is revealed gradually. And if the first half can be safely called a drama, then the second half is transformed into a thriller or even an action movie with a lot of shootouts. Wingard is very skillfully working on this picture and do not even think that this is a beginner, but rather a prodigy in the world of cinema, which with each film more and more gives the audience what they not only need, but also like. Also correctly chosen timing (95 minutes), which will not make the viewer get bored, but rather cause delight, but this praise is more likely to the editor of the film.
The script for the film was written by Simon Barrett, working with Wingard is not the first time. A strong script that is filled with everything - drama and calm, unexpected twists, fights, explosions and shootouts - is an attempt to do something new in the genre of an action thriller. Most of the characters are clearly spelled out and have their own habits, character, but there are also characters who are “covered in darkness” – this is just David, about whom we know almost nothing, and for the whole film we will recognize him not completely, but only partially. Who completely out of the script is the father of the family (Spencer) – in the frame he appears quite rarely, and he has almost no dialogue.
I would also like to praise the excellent work of the cameraman Robert Baumgartner and composer Steve Moore, for whom this is only the second big project, but they are already perfectly coping with their work - the first - with the camera work, and the second - with wonderful music, which sounds almost the whole film and which I really liked. Excellent work!
Dan Stevens perfectly suited the role of David both externally and in the game, which he shows throughout the film and which eclipses all the other characters and actors who play them (I personally thought that he was something like Ryan Gosling, as well as the role could be great and Paul Walker), gaining momentum Mike Monroe also managed to play his character well, but she appears, like other actors playing family members, quite rarely. The rest of the actors played well and blended into the overall atmosphere of the film.
Total:
It’s a shame that movies like The Guest aren’t given the green light in theaters. Personally, I did not bother to watch it there and I am very sorry, because on the big screen this film looks even better. "The Guest" is strong primarily strong script and acting skills of Dan Stevens, whose career will undoubtedly take off after this tape. Undoubtedly, many who have watched Nicholas Winding Refn’s “Drive” will feel déjà vu in some scenes and this is not terrible, but completely normal. I recommend it to anyone who wants to watch and I hope that you will like this film as much as I liked it.
Thank you for your attention and pleasant viewing!
An exciting trailer is the first reason why when choosing a film, I preferred the picture "Guest" hitherto unknown to me director Adam Wingard with unknown actors in roles. The second is the absence (at the time of writing my review) of negative reviews. I’m not saying the movie was bad, but I expected more.
Plot. On the threshold of the house of a family that lost a son and brother in the war, a mysterious stranger with impeccable manners appears. Posing as a co-worker of the deceased, at the last will of which he promised to take care of the abandoned family, the guest gets the opportunity to stay in the house indefinitely. The impostor quickly gains the trust of all family members, helping them where necessary and not necessary. It is especially easy for him to recruit his youngest son. The bar scene is a fad, every little brother's dream. But not all family members are so fascinated by him that they are ready to blindly believe in the noble motives of the arrived, because everything they know about him is only from his words. His past is shrouded in mystery and his appearance is deceptive. In his care, he goes far and crosses the line beyond which death threatens those who try to prevent him.
I liked the movie to the half, right up until the moment when the thriller began to turn into an action movie, and I don’t like action movies. A cheerful interesting beginning foreshadowed something new and exciting for the viewer, but this was not the case. A little predictable, dynamic, with a lot of action and sinister atmosphere , the film is similar to many other tapes of this nature, for example, strongly resembles the film directed by Nelson McCormick " Stepfather". What's more, the denouement has blown a lot. Too implausible and formulaic. I’m not just talking about the last minute of the movie. Although I have no idea how this story could end, it is too predictable, primitive and banal, and “militant”. The director would be better off sticking to one genre. At the end, the film slid into frank thrash and lost its semantic load, ending as all such films about maniacs chasing someone end. If I stayed in the style of the thriller, coupled with at least something original at the end, the film would only win.
Acting. I express my admiration for Dan Stevens. I wanted to make the review neutral because of the average plot, but thanks to the impeccable game Stevens, just the hand did not rise. Although at first it was surprising that this role was not given to Diesel, usually similar roles of tough soldiers without fear and reproach - his role. But it is for the best, because in addition to the action part, there is also a thriller first half of the film, where a subtle game is necessary, with the execution of which Dan Stevens brilliantly coped. Here he is a nice, polite, attractive guy with a charming smile and a trick in his eyes, and a second later we have a robot without feelings and emotions, a machine programmed to kill the obstacles in its path. The ideal soldier, unperturbed and confident, frightening, whose unkind look gives goosebumps. Just a split personality. Dan Stevens masterfully showed the reincarnations and versatility of his hero. Although some aspects of his past remained unclear to me. I didn’t like all the actors so much. For example, Mike Monroe played too emotionally and I didn’t believe her.
The verdict. Watch and just enjoy the amazing game of Dan Stevens. His career after this film should go uphill.
“I loved it!” he said after watching the movie. Honestly, I was very surprised by my state and emotions, especially that I decided to write a review on a movie of this genre.
I'll try to be very brief. I will not retell the plot, it can be read in the abstract, and I am afraid to allow a few spoilers. A lot of people compare it to Drive and other films of the same direction: I haven’t seen those movies, so The Guest was a bit of a novelty for me. Of course, you can intuitively guess about everything that is happening, but it is still impossible to break away from the screen for a minute. And the main reason for this, I believe, is a very “strong” acting of the main character – David. Dan Stevens.
Throughout the picture, I shuddered and cried, wondering: & #34; And he played my beloved Matthew in Downton Abbey? Where are you, intelligent, vulnerable, humble Matthew? There is no trace of the English aristocrat’s past role. Here we see a completely different character - very mysterious, cold-blooded, decisive. From voice, facial expressions, intonation, just “blood boils”. Oh, he's also a very sexy man. Yeah, yeah, girls, I also swallowed nervously when I saw him in one of the most posh scenes. And, of course, the eyes, those too blue eyes that pull into the pool with the head.
This picture is very stylish - an incredibly beautiful picture, camera work, thoughtful scenes. But the main advantage, undoubtedly, is the music to which all actions take place. To say that the soundtrack is beautiful is probably not to say anything. He's great.
An amateur movie. If you want to enjoy a delicious dessert without delving into the essence of being, good acting, wonderful music, then most likely you will find what you expect.
“I didn’t expect that from Adam Wingard.”
Best Performance by Dan Stevens
“On one breath, stylishly, striking, demolishes the roof”
"Visual cocktail, absorbed by volley"
The coolest soundtrack of 2014, the music here is not the background, but a dense component of the whole picture.
The other side of the moon “Drive” with Ryan Gosling
“You are torn apart, you want to repeat what you saw, amazing feeling”
Don’t follow the story, you won’t see anything breakthrough, you won’t wait for the final credits. Just a thought. Give me more. More. More and more.
"Senseless, in its extreme picture"
I never paid much attention to the work of Adam Wingard. The creator of such popular to this day thriller-horrors as “evil”, “You are finished!”, “ABC of death”. For he is not a lover of them at all. I'm talking about the director's paintings in general. Surprisingly, Wingard surpassed himself. If only I knew the movie was made by him before I started watching it. I probably would have missed it. And it is in vain that you do not recommend categorically. The film is a must-see. Lovers of all unconventional and cutting, I highly recommend.
“Cynthy is pop, rhythmic camera work, tangible violence.”
Plot? Out of nowhere, everything seemed trivial and simple. Back in the 90s, we saw all this. The Peterson family mourns their beloved son who did not return from the army. Blue-eyed Dan Stevens knocks on the door. I served, I knew, I was there. I'm his last words and friend. Soaking all the pain back and wiping away tears, the mother lets a former co-worker into the house. Here you go.
The picture simply breaks with references to the mass trends of the past 1980s – 1990s, giving us a bright portion full of new directions and spits towards modern blockbusters and their directors.
To reveal all the cards at the beginning of the film Adam does not even think. Trying to tell us that's not what the director is trying to do. Everything's going well. You seem to have predicted the end, with words. This one is going to die and I know it’s bad.
All the mysterious, seemingly glamorous and stinging mob of our main antihero, his message to us is also completely unknown. Why? Who's he from? You watch, you know, you believe him, you slap him on the other side of the screen. Knowing that he is not who he claims to be. And that's a brilliant feeling. Worried about the others? Nope. Stevens' play, his tone of words, intonation. Movements. Dialogue. Smile. It blows your mind. Full penetration of the hero against the background of juicy lawlessness on the screen.
“You squint, become it, applaud and point your finger. Who will be next?
Gaining momentum "Guest" does not let you stop. You like everything, even some cardboard characters and their actions. Not knowing why or why. You run along with the picture without realizing that the end has to happen.
The semantic depth of each will determine himself, most will not see anything call sign and internal in the picture, considering the film a meaningless parody of past masterpieces. Personally, I saw a lot in the picture, including part of myself, the inner dark side and vile desires.
That's it. I hope I avoided spoilers, but I want to continue. Tell me more and more about it.
As a result: all fans of dashing and otherworldly thriller-fighters in the style of “Drive” unequivocally advise.
10 out of 10
The film “The Guest” was released in 2014. I did not hear news about this picture, I did not read reviews, I did not know anything about this work. On the strong advice of a good friend, he immediately proceeded to view. What I saw exceeded my expectations. Powerful, dynamic, colorful, exciting and tense – perhaps these words describe my impressions of this picture, but let’s take everything in order.
“I knew your son. I knew pretty well.
Plot. The film begins with David, a former military man, who decides to come to the parents of his deceased friend in order to fulfill his last request. There he meets the family and stays on the stand, helping family members to solve their problems. The film itself does not invent the wheel, you can see that the style and presentation are borrowed from the picture “Drive”, but it seems so only at first glance. After half the screen time, the movie starts to keep you on edge. Things are not happening as you expect. Injection - injection - explosion! That’s exactly how the film’s director, Adam Wingard, works. With the plot in the picture, everything is at the level, you can not worry about this part.
Actors. The film is not played by the most famous personalities, but acting on a level. The main character is especially colorful, performed by Dan Stevens. Dan has changed a lot for this role, lost weight and puffed up. This is definitely the best role of his career. I hope to see him more often in various AAA films.
Stylistics. The camera job is great. Succulent plans and beautiful panoramas, all right. The film is made stylishly, and the film has the effect of an old ripple, which also gives atmosphere. Sometimes it feels like you’re watching an old thriller, and “The Guest” reminds me of Rutger Hauer’s “Traveler.” Also, the film is very similar to the movie “Drive”, I have already talked about it, but still. That reminds me a lot. Electronic-synthetic soundtrack with a clutter under the 80s, also borrowed from the concept of “Drive”, but about this separately.
Soundtrack. One of the best parts of the movie. Electronic compositions are always in place. I especially liked the final scene in the club, where the coolness of the soundtrack was multiplied by 2, because the visual series was built specifically for sounding compositions. There are scenes in which music is given special attention. For the whole film there are 2-3 pieces, which is quite a lot. The music takes this film to a higher level, I don’t even know what the movie would look like if there were other songs.
Over. Adam Wingard made a great film, perhaps the first of his career. He used to shoot second-rate horror, but now, the author has revealed himself in all its glory. The painting “Guest” is definitely worth seeing. You can have fun, and this movie guarantees: You'll get it. My assessment:
We choose the film for a number of reasons. We can be attracted by the name of the director of the picture or the actor who plays the main role in the film, and sometimes the entire cast. Less often, but also often we are led to a well-made trailer. "Guest" Adam Wingard is a vivid example of when neither the name of the director, not the cast says anything about itself to the viewer, but nevertheless the film itself turns out to be good.
Already from the very first frames, when the screensaver of the film appears, it becomes clear that we are waiting for a not very template film, although there are enough of them there. “Guest” does not pull rubber, as they like to do it to gather, and immediately begins a dense narrative, without long unnecessary digressions. The film is well described in the description, so I am not going to retell the plot. From the visual side, the film looks great. Although it was obviously clear that we are not a blockbuster, but nevertheless all the action scenes are made qualitatively. There are no complaints here. Dan Stevens played a great stranger. This seemingly intelligent and cultured guy who at first glance really wants to help the family of his deceased friend is not. It was a good way to convey Dan Stevens, and that’s not a bad thing. The soundtrack has a life of its own here, but it looks damn cool. Somehow bravely they decided to play with him, but anyway, it turned out interesting. Of course, there are enough stamps in the film and there is something to complain about, but against the general background, you do not pay attention to this.
In general, we have another normal representative of the genre, which does not shine with explosions and shooting, but keeps at the screen. That's the point.
7 out of 10
Having identified all the most visible, acute and characteristic trends in the work of Adam Wingard, who for a long period gravitated mainly to horror dialectics, one thing will become clear first of all: during the time when the venerable director dabbled in demythification and deprivation of the entire modern horror genre, which now exists at the junction of extreme and sterility, gradually transferring it from the curves of postmodernism to the more even path of realism, visionism and poststructuralism, the director managed to strengthen and strengthen it at this stage.
"Guest", the last major project of the director - not a cinematic maxim, but very close to this - is also remarkable for the fact that the film is completely different from the previous creations of Wingard not only due to the denial of the usual stylistic eclecticism and not even because of its multigenre, but solely due to the fact that the tape is easily interpreted as a ornate multilayer parable that goes back to its semantic roots in the root mythology of the States. Wingard in “The Guest”, despite the diligent ecstasy of ultraviolence, does not raise in the picture quite acute questions of realism, because any direct or even indirect links with reality in the picture are absent – and if in its old-school staged manner the film can still be helpfully paralleled with “Drive” Refn, rhymes in turn with “Taxi Driver”. Scorsese, the deep philosophy of motives that guide the dangerously beautiful stranger, goes back to both Hitchcock’s “Shadow of Doubt”, from where the fabulous formula about the “stranger in the house” went to walk in the cinematic forest, and to Pierre Paolo Pasolini’s “Theorem”, and the connection with the latter seems more self-evident, because even in “You are finished!” Wingard successfully mocked the behavioral stereotyping of the entire middle class. The director’s reflections on life and on those sociopolitical realities from which the timeless hero of Dan Stevens came out, whose name is David – no more than a formality and convention (however, in the film everything is conditional and brought to intentional hyperaestheticism) – are of the nature, if not optional, then definitely untimely, because the internal and external space of the film are united in their disunity. Wingard states, but does not provoke. Asks questions, but doesn’t answer, because most of the questions in the film are either rhetorical or existential.
David unceremoniously invades someone else’s living space, violates the inviolable boundaries of his personal life, rejects the eternal “my home is my fortress” not only in the name of his altruistic and misanthropic lawlessness (Dominic Moll in “Harry is a friend who wishes you well” spoke on this topic quite ironically, for example, and “The Guest” stands on an equal footing with Moll’s painting in its semantic saturation), but simply because he wants to change the established course of life in the American suburb, preserved in its conservativeness, where the clings are conditioned with clings. He is the bearer of free will, but for him there are no limits to this freedom at all, but at the same time David is not a creative, but a purely destructive force, in the end awakening in everyone who encounters him the most base, daring and vile. Initially, however, it seems that in this way, through the rendering of good services by force and sex, the hero, deprived of the present and future (his past is also very doubtful, but who thinks about it, drowning literally immediately in the blue abyss of his eyes?!), tries to atone for someone else’s war, wash away with less blood even more, but the further, the more obvious becomes the moral impasse into which he drives everyone but himself, naturally breaking all imaginable taboos (the unthinkable modestly remain behind a stylish frame casting a purple neon of eighties). David, undoubtedly, is an obvious archetype, built nevertheless very carefully into the system of other, much more extensive author's coordinates, thanks to which the film in the finale begins to lean towards a sharp anti-American statement, for for Wingard, the world of the American suburbs is a world of dummies, masks and falsehoods, and David came here to tear off the covers and make people live. But before they do, they have to realize that the cost of realizing their own worth is too high. In the hero of Dan Stevens, it is easy to guess the images of the fatal hero-lover, tempter and sophisticated, Mephistopheles in a world without a single Faust, the classic hero-lone, going from nowhere to nowhere, but changing radically the lives of all those who came into contact with him, without changing himself (he is a constant in the world of changeable components, queens among pawns and lambs) and even the Casanedonic Wanderer on the way to Knowledge.
8 out of 10
Do you know the director Adam Wingard? And actor Dan Stevens? I don’t know either, but nevertheless, these guys managed to make a great movie that surprised me. This film is one of the most unusual, and from that and the best in 2014.
Here, even the naked eye can see parallels with the movie "Drive". Both there and there the main characters are not particularly talkative and prefer action, in both films the visual range and musical accompaniment are similar. However, it is foolish to regard this as pure copying - Wingard brought a lot of his own, which is why the film is not perceived as a copy of Drive. And yet, “Drive” has become a cult film, which “The Guest”, alas, will not see, judging by the rating and negative reviews. I think this is everything from the fact that before such a film you need to corny “dravravravel”.
An interesting protagonist, a general style, a plot that keeps in suspense until the end, a chic soundtrack (best in 2014) and old school are the main advantages of “Guest”. The disadvantages can be attributed still not fully disclosed motives of the main character, and ... everything is possible. Some people won’t like thrashing in the last thirty minutes, but for me it was just a plus.
For me personally, this film was an introduction to the work of director Adam Wingard. And I must admit, the first meeting was wonderful.
Start with the atmosphere that the plot creates. A small town lost among the vast fields and plains of the Midwest, as if divorced from the main drive of the modern world and living in its own, partly closed world. Halloween Eve, when everything is decorated in the appropriate style, and pumpkins stand wherever possible. Oppressive – then heated, then instantly “falling” – the atmosphere revolving around a small American family and their new “friend” is fascinating, does not give the opportunity to be distracted by something else. Just look, just watch. 5 points definitely.
Then, of course, music. There is no doubt that you can bet 10 out of 10. Such a brilliant selection of compositions, “built-in” at one point or another of the plot, I could not even suspect when I sat down to watch this film. Not all of them cause a sense of tension on their own, many of them are even dynamic and generally cheerful. But listening to them, while watching the unfolding drama, you feel a state of light excitement and oppression, as if something is going to happen, something negative - but you do not know what it is and can not predict this moment.
Finally, the actors themselves. I know Dan Stevens from the superb series Downton Abbey, which I’ve been watching for over a year, and in which he played (in my opinion, great) a major role in the first few seasons. His game is almost perfect, and here he did not change himself. Well done. I also really liked the heroine Anna Peterson; at least I like this type of girls, and she played her role well.
The finale of the film was “open”, which is a positive quality for the thriller, as it makes you imagine different scenarios after the start of the credits. Some things (primarily relating to David’s life before he came to the Peterson family) I didn’t fully understand, perhaps because of their lack of disclosure. But the general impression does not spoil at all; and these moments themselves are not the main thing in the “Guest”.
And the main thing is that the creators were able to show the viewer a real, high-quality thriller that creates the necessary environment, an exciting plot and does not slide into a dull level a la “one killed another and then ten more people – blood-intestines – there is no plot.” And for that, thank you very much. I looked at it and did not regret it.
A typical summer day. On the doorstep of an ordinary American family, he appears - a guest from nowhere. Posing as a military comrade of the deceased son, the hero easily and unhindered enters the family and is detained indefinitely.
The film almost immediately escalates the atmosphere of anxiety, but you do not understand for a long time what exactly it will turn out.
The main problem of this film is the semantic sagging. Motives, reasons, motives - as it were spoken and you can tick, which seems to be explained, but, in my opinion, stitched with white threads. And this film would have fallen into the category of boring and invisible, if not for a number of circumstances. To my taste, the main features of this film are music and the main character. It is not for nothing that some reviews draw an analogy with Drive, although it is largely relative. Here, our hero is also verbose and prefers to act rather than rattle his tongue. It’s also hard to tell if it’s a positive character or a negative character. Arguments can be made on both sides. And with Drive in something, this film shares a musical and visual series. And at first it is rather only music, but the final scenes are a triumph of directorial finds, strong action, visual series and the corresponding soundtrack. Musicians are advised to pay attention to the song Anthonio singer Annie. This is something amazing.
And when the film ends, out of habit you think that it was, as a feeling, mood, impression, meaning. And about the film The Guest I want to say that it goes on increasing and with a weak motivation of everything that happens, it is impossible to break away from this. Good secondary actors, especially the daughter played by Mikey Monroe. An actress with good potential for the future. I did not recognize Leland Orser as the father of the head of the family.
As a result, this film is not a pure action movie, not a mega thriller, but a kind of mixed phenomenon, but definitely very curious and for some reason I want to see the continuation.
And it is nice that the hero, with all restraint, inner danger, crazy look, is not without a sense of humor.
“Do I look like a guy who treats guys?”
8 out of 10
Not to say that the film is bad, not to say that it is wonderful - quite a pleasant picture to the eye, but driving into a stupor with indistinct musical inserts. Funny way of breaking the song at an unexpected moment and continuing the story. It seems that they were betting on music, but in my opinion it did not work out. There is some absolute discrepancy between the video and the musical accompaniment. And it seems that the music is great, and the actors are even good ... and the story is in principle interesting, but since it happened to compare this film with Drive, then there is even no question. Drive is a laconic, stylish picture and perfectly balanced in musical accompaniment film. And the Guest I would call incomprehensible mix, which, surprisingly, leaves a very good impression. The main thing is not to be seduced by music (which on the Internet has become clearly more popular than the film itself) and not to expect from Adam Wingard the skills of the same Refn.
Knock-knock! - Who is it? Don't be afraid, not guests.
High-quality thriller on the theme “A decent family lets home a decent young man”. Something went wrong.” The starring role is the damn charming Dan Stevens, who managed to light up, among other things, in “Sense and Sensibility”, “Fifth Power” and “A Walk Among the Graves”. Towards the end, the film tries to smoothly flow into a good action movie (favorite fights, yes, yes), but we know that a good thriller a dozen cartridges is not a hindrance.
Well-written, albeit somewhat typical, characters, each with its own mini-history of relationships with the hero of Dan, a good soundtrack, a famously unfolding plot, a perfect pulse of the narrative, and the ending does not disappoint. Watching and having fun.
The independent British company HanWay Films, responsible for the release of such films as “All is bright” and “Seducted and Abandoned”, gave complete freedom to director Adam Wingard and screenwriter Simon Barrett. As a result, the light saw the film “The Guest”, the visual component of which would have been envied by Nicholas Winding Refn himself, and in terms of the intensity of passions, this work is not inferior to the almost exemplary Israeli film “Very Bad Guys” in the thriller genre.
Running stranger, jack-o-lantern and sinister music open the "Guest", which in 90 minutes will give the viewer the most vivid emotions, perhaps not of the most ethical kind, but redeeming it with the highest aesthetic pleasure. The central theme of The Guest is the attractiveness of evil, not as a universal principle, but viewed exclusively through its application to an individual. In this case, viciousness is personified by a man named David, one day appeared on the threshold of a decent house, and introduced himself as a friend of one of its deceased inhabitants.
With his new acquaintances, David will bring something that can be called “shock therapy,” charming them. David’s involvement and willingness to listen and help make those around him docile, and at some point they won’t even be embarrassed by his lack of ID card. Then the plot will appear so long-awaited by the audience who bought a ticket for the thriller, blood and struggle. Magnificent cinematography (the operator obviously saw a lot of indie films, stylish music and the amazing work of the artist on the light) serve only for the director to realize his main idea, namely, to make the antihero a hero, completely without wasting time on any excuses and morality.
After a rather indistinct work “You are finished!”, in which twist was most important, including the visual component, Wingard in “The Guest” pays extreme attention to details and angles, not allowing this form to overshadow the content. And where Refn is confused in the plot and can not keep the viewer in suspense until the very end, Wingard easily succeeds. And even if popular culture did not make the creators of "Guest" glossy heroes, as it happened with Refn, but this does not change the fact that stylistically Wingard easily outplays the Dane in his own field. Less words, more action, light and music – this recipe can only work when used correctly, and Wingard does it right.
Trying to reflect on the everyday life of heroes and their troubles, which in the face of real danger (in the form of David) cease to be significant, seems extremely unproductive. The filmmakers are not interested in any deep philosophy of existentialism, they admire and admire their David. And the topic of permissiveness and its attractiveness in this case is much more relevant than the thoughts about the existence of ordinary people. David is the focus of sex, violence and omnipotence over such pathetic people (from school bullies to secret services), he is capable of anything. If you want, he will protect you from the attacks of peers, become a cool one-night boyfriend, comfort parents who lost their son, etc. Any social roles are subject to the sociopath, but the past will remind of itself, and starting from the 40th minute, The Guest will turn from a relationship thriller into a tense action.
Directly, Wingard and Barrett, of course, do not state their judgments about the rights of the protagonist, but they clearly make the viewer understand that such concepts as “crime” and “punishment” beloved by the writer Fyodor Dostoevsky are not that illegal, but in this case the situation is irrelevant. From this logic, almost from the very beginning of the picture, the final decision becomes obvious. While this may not be a case where not entirely socially acceptable behavior can be justified by attraction to the victim, as in Luke Evans' wonderful film Nobody Survived, The Guest doesn't need any romance. David's figures in all their splendor are enough. And who needs morality, if your movements are honed, and you can shoot with both hands?
Separate applause in the “Guest” of course deserves Dan Stevens turned from fed Matthew Crowley in the light version of Steve Rogers. Without a doubt, this job should rank among the best on Stevens' track record. He demonstrates not only the acting, but also what in academic circles is called stage fight, not everyone even spending hundreds of hours on rehearsals and training would be able to perform stunts as skillfully as Stevens does.
From fans of cinema, working for the sake of drive, Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett turned into if not virtuoso, but masters of their craft, able not only to create a worked out and completed story, and then transfer it to the screen. Wingard and Barrett mastered the art of great style, in which there are no random frames or replicas, the visual complements the substantive, and the main character is almost a god.
Can't imagine what I would do without you?
- Really Mrs. Peterson, it's not hard for me.
“The Guest” positions itself as an action movie, a thriller with a charismatic main character, a good setup and a firmly made trailer, which, by the way, presents all this. In fact, we encounter ... with a slightly different flow of the picture in an unexpected direction.
So, the cycle of events starts after knocking on the door of an unfamiliar young man who introduces himself to the family as a co-worker of the deceased son and brother. Having received an invitation to enter, he, taking advantage of the position of a sudden but important guest, gets an excuse to stay for a couple of days. This is what gives way to subsequent events that receive a completely unexpected development. The main character, David (Dan Stevens) exudes a natural charm, under which all family members gradually fall. In his attempts to become necessary for each of them, at one moment he crosses the line of what is allowed and everyone’s life changes far from the bright side.
Sitting down to watch, I prepared for a certain flow of the film and was completely baffled by the fact that the picture changes its angle of degree by 90% towards outright thrash. Probably this is what will scare off viewers waiting for the second "Hostage" or "Drive". Rather, the comparison will be more correct with the Texas Massacre, although the smiling David is very difficult to compare with the Leatherface. After looking to the end, I asked myself, “What did I just look at?” But the first impressions settled down, suppressing emotions and breaking the film into paragraphs turned out that it was far from bad. The visual picture looks very bright, which does not let the eye get bored, the action constantly flows and moves in its chaotic direction, thereby creating the order of the narrative. There are no long sags and introductions, from a place in the quarry we plunge into history and follow its course, constantly raising eyebrows, but unable to come off. Also an indisputable plus, this is a charismatic David performed by the talented Stevens, who is now gaining popularity exponentially. If in “Downton Abbey” we see a strong young man with a soft character, then in “Guest”, we see a retired man with an eternal fox smile on his face and just mischievous eyes. Seriously, even if you don’t read the description and watch the trailer, you can hardly believe that this smiling guy with a backpack behind his shoulders and an instantly chilling look, is a positive character. Great game, really hit with a hundred percent.
It is also impossible not to add a good musical accompaniment, which maintains the tone of the film throughout it. Other actors really can not offer anything but extras for the overall story, only Mike Monroe liked, but is still too young to focus on, although the potential is felt.
In the dry residue, we have deceived expectations for a thriller and a very good thrash-action with its own special theme and a taste of mild madness. It's still a plus
“First they beat you, bully you, and then you burn them at home with all your relatives.” What could possibly be worse? ?
Stylistically, the film is almost perfect, the soundtrack is incomparable and perfectly complements the visual part, the actors’ play is excellent, nothing and no one stands out from the general row. This is something with something, at first evokes an unforgettable Drive, largely thanks to the similar game of Dan Stevens and the general style, but then... Perfect arthouse thriller, just wow. The ending is amazing, the idea of a maze is beyond praise, and the last shots are something. No words, only emotions, definitely recommend to watch, the film-revelation of this year.
9 out of 10
Cons. Translation and voiceover of dialogues in three, little accents in key places. Actors in roles more than suitable, well tried, but the director worked poorly, so the behavior of the characters often looked ridiculous, especially in situations where there should be fear, despair, confusion or aggression.
The main character almost all the time with the same emotion on his face - a Krishnaite who shits himself in the cold - does not want to smile, but it is necessary. The role itself is extremely strange: from fragmentary phrases you can guess that it was an experiment for military purposes, like a universal soldier, but the program of actions of the subject was clearly insane. All the problems in the course of the film, including GG, arose only because of his clumsy work. Instead of prudent secrecy, he seemed to deliberately attract excessive attention to himself, and at every step he created serious suspicions about himself.
The whole plot revolved around the mystery about the main character and his unmotivated actions, on the one hand, he sincerely helped the family, on the other hand, he did her evil without hesitation. Why he needed both remains unclear. Therefore, the plot turned out with a huge semantic hole in the center, but nicely decorated with uncomplicated action. In the process of viewing, everything thought that the moment would come and the true face of the real hero, the motive for his actions, would be revealed. But in the end, everything was written off as an “experiment” without any explanation of its goals and properties. The viewer was forced to watch the ongoing madness, waiting for a sudden revelation about the goal or at least the reasons, but they simply were not originally in the plot.
Unfortunately, even the topic of “excessive” hospitality is also not put to an end. There was no reason to think that family members did the wrong thing by accepting this guest, because his behavior was flawless, and immediately check the documents – “Shurik, this is not our method”, and then they still do not write “bad guy”.
Pros. The most thoughtful plot line is communication with the boy and help in the formation of his personality (although the advice to burn down the house was too much). It was very easy and easy to understand.
The soundtracks are the best in this film.
Conclusion. What can I say? - The movie is funny. Stupid but funny. A sloppy fantasy about “the sudden consequences of a strange experiment on an individual family.” A light teenage movie thrash.
After watching “The Guest” by Adam Wingard, one gets the impression of some Dej Vu. I've seen it before somewhere. However, in the case of the director, who for the most part entertained the audience with not very expressive horror films, the best of which can be recognized only two, the term copying or repetition can be attributed to the category “well, kind of cool” rather than “wow, what a suck, it was already...”
If we consider “Guest” from the point of view of the originality of the plot, then here it simply does not exist. Even the slogan can be sewn to at least 20 or even 30 films. These are the ones that come to mind first. The story of an unknown person rubbing into the trust of a small provincial family (where, of course, there is a son and daughter, and depending on the gender of the main character, one or the other experiences Shakespearean feelings for the latter) was traveled along and across. But Adam Wingard has breathed new life into these tired plots, blurring the line between the madness and the virtues of the protagonist David. And this, of course, is the great merit of the Englishman Dan Stevens, whose blue eyes express almost all feelings. He doesn’t even have to open his mouth: you look and everything immediately becomes clear.
The narrative flows like a thick jelly, exploding with hard scenes, and at the end and even growing to the scale of a “room” war (Hello “Drive”). Well, the last 20 minutes definitely knock "Guest" in one of the leaders of the rating "The best last 20 minutes in the movie."
Adam Wingard has clearly shown that he is ready to make serious adult films. "Guest" surprises, frightens, delights and really begins to like from the first minutes. Yes, the plot here and there sags and does not give unequivocal answers to the questions posed. Yes, the budget and lack of experience of the director in this genre make themselves felt. There are no beautiful phrases, smart facial expressions and pathetic looks.
The "guest" surprises others. With its atmosphere of the “good old movie”, which was revived by Winding Refn, a memorable main character, as well as just a mind-blowing soundtrack (by the way, this is the second film in a month, the full sound of which I pour on my player).
Well, about that Dej Vu. Hell with him. Who doesn't?
