No Good Deed
In the end,No Good Deedis pretty much what it promises to be: your standard home-invasion thriller.
No safe Deedfollows Terri ( Taraji P. Henson ) , an Atlanta woman of the house and female parent of two , who finds herself having to make a risky decision on a dark and tempestuous night . That decision is whether or not to allow aid to one Colin Evans ( Idris Elba ) , a grandiloquent , dark and handsome man who was apparently injured in car crash . Being the skillful woman that she is , Terri determine to provide help ( in modified capacity ) to the stranger at her room access .
However , as the title of the film implies , Terri ’s sympathy make out at great moment . Colin is not the kindly valet he seems at first ; tardily but for sure , the unruffled , charming frontal begins to crack , revealing a delusional sociopath lurking under the aerofoil . Trapped in her household with two kids to protect , and a lunatic standing between her and any help come , Terri must stand up against the malign presence in her base , and write her family .
No Good Deedmarks a new collaboration between actor Idris Elba and director Sam Miller , who crop together on the BBC TV series , Luther . Like withLuther , Miller is adept at create nightmarishly tense real - world scenario involve psychopaths and their victims ; however , even with two powerhouse leads in Elba and Henson , writer Amiee Lagos ' ( 96 Minutes ) script can only birth a so - so thriller whose ambitious reach to deliver deeper commentary lack the narrative grasp to do .
Visually , No Good Deedis better than the stuff on the pageboy . Miller creates a darkly lavish look to his cinematic world , with camera work that ranges from methodically executed shots and movements , to more visceral Cinéma vérité ( aka precarious River Cam ) succession when the wildness is in full swing . If you ’re a fan ofLuther(and if not , you probably should be ) the visual palette will be all too conversant - as will the array of techniques Miller utilise to ratchet up the tenseness spirit level . From quick jump scare to painfully long , lallygag moments of watching a victim being sadistically toyed with , the movie make you wrestle . In term of its intended end , No Good Deedis indeed tense and thrilling for most of its carefully measured campaign clip .
Lackluster material gets a boost from the master actors in the cast . Elba is the force play that make the movie work ; it ’s compelling to watch him play a persona who can change between suave , wizardly hunk and sadistic psycho with the tick of a second . He is equally effective in conveying both sides of Colin , and has enough skill to lace those English into one well - rounded persona - a highly intelligent Orcinus orca who bonk how to in effect hide his wolf fur under sheep ’s woollen . Just watch Colin is a tingle in and of itself , as he hold back you gauge just when the turkey inside him is pass to go off ( next ) .
That ’s not to take away from Taraji P. Henson , who definitely arrest her own against her intimidating Centennial State - star and negociate to actually take many of the underlying feministic themes in the tale subtext . In Henson ’s hired hand , Terri is more than the sobbing , pleading victim ( though she is that too ) ; she displays strong point , persistency , sex activity appealingness , and - when the material is not break her - more intelligence than your usual horror / thriller damsel in distress type . In fact , Terri is not the sort of damozel waiting for a save , and the movie does a just job bring in the character ’s discharge .
The supporting stamp is small , but effective in their roles . Leslie Bibb ( Iron Man ) is a scene - thief as Terri ’s dear acquaintance / the token clean person ; Kate del Castillo ( Weeds ) is solid as Colin ’s X - fiancee ; and Henry Simmons ( NYPD Blue ) does a plenty with a little , playing Terri ’s married man .
In the end , No Good Deedis passably much what it forebode to be : your standard menage - invasion thriller . The talent is there behind and in front of the camera , even if the cloth does n’t exactly satisfy the high-minded goal it correct up for itself . But if the nightmare of home invasion - and/or some cryptic commentary on New feminist personal identity vs. manlike dominance / controller exit - sound like a merriment enough time to pay full ticket price for ? …
Second suppose : you should plausibly do yourself a good deed and just wait for the rental .
Taraji P. Henson in ‘No Good Deed’
TRAILER
No Good Deedis now playing in theaters . It is 84 minutes long and is Rated PG-13 for sequences of force , menace , little terror , and for language .
No Good Deed is a thriller directed by Sam Miller . Starring Idris Elba and Taraji P. Henson , the film survey a home encroachment pull by an loose inmate who terrorizes a woman and her child . The tension - filled story search the psychological dynamics between captor and captive , navigating topic of natural selection and resilience .
Taraji P. Henson in ‘No Good Deed’
Idris Elba in ‘No Good Deed’
