| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Nicolas Cage | ... | ||
| Nicole Kidman | ... | ||
| Ben Mendelsohn | ... | ||
| Liana Liberato | ... | ||
| Cam Gigandet | ... | ||
| Jordana Spiro | ... |
Petal
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| Dash Mihok | ... |
Ty
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| Emily Meade | ... |
Kendra
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| Nico Tortorella | ... | ||
| Brandon Belknap | ... |
Dylan
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| Terry Milam | ... |
Travis
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| Tina Parker | ... |
Security Operator
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| David Maldonado | ... |
Security Guard
(as Dave Maldonado)
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Nilo Otero | ... |
Mr. Big
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| Simona Williams | ... |
Mrs. Big
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Kyle and Sarah Miller have it all: a huge gated house on the water, fancy cars, and the potential for romance in their relationship. He's just back from a business trip (he brokers diamonds) and their teen daughter Avery is sneaking out to a party, when four thugs in security uniforms and ski masks stage a home invasion. They want what's in the safe: cash and diamonds. Kyle stalls them, trying to negotiate for Sarah's freedom. Over the next few hours, the back stories of the four robbers (two brothers, a girlfriend, and the representative of a local drug kingpin) as well as the fault lines in Kyle and Sarah's marriage come into play. Is there room here for heroism? Written by <jhailey@hotmail.com>
As is usually the case when a movie gets bad press, I felt compelled to see it for myself. As a fan of Nicolas Cage and Nicole Kidman, I was also interested to see just how terrible they were.
In actual fact I think the critics have been a little cruel. As other reviewers have commented, this is no groundbreaking piece of work; it's a home invasion story and highlights the lengths people will go to for money (see Panic Room for more details....!). Yes there is a lot of screaming from Nicole and a lot of people saying "run" and no one runs anywhere, but to be fair if I was in their position, I would likely be in a corner papping myself with fear.
It seems that they follow a similar formula to Panic Room, in that the burglars are pretty brutal and one or two of them seem slightly unhinged, but this is clearly a device used to work up tension as they become more panicked and more unpredictable. In a sense I liked this element, which showed something more of the invaders' humanity; their fears and failings.
All in all this is not an amazing film, but nor is it that terrible. It also isn't half as violent as people make out - there is a fair amount of threat but I have seen a lot worse and I am not a fan of violent movies. So 6/10 seems a fair score, although personally I quite enjoyed it - it was easy enough to watch and I was interested enough to keep watching to the end. But maybe that's just me.