Much like Now You See Me, this film had a waaaay bigger than expected opening weekend, thus making it an overnight “hit” that will make at least 20 times its initial 3 million budget back. Unlike Now You See Me, the film collapsed on its second weekend now that most people know it sucks. It turns out quality does matter…sometimes…
What Works: The film’s initial premise——–that an America suffering from record incarceration and poverty benefits greatly from an annual 12-hour period where all crime including murder is legal——–is promising enough, if ridiculous. There’s just something built-in exciting about such a premise where, essentially, you’re watching a civilized society have a scheduled period of anarchy, the contradictions should be rich enough for a darkly comic, dark-side-of-the-soul thriller…
What Doesn’t Work: …but this film ain’t it. It’s not funny enough, scary enough (the killers are so ridiculous their cheekbones are only slightly less cartoonish than the masks they wear), rich enough, dark enough, smart enough, perceptive enough, or deep enough. There’s not a single memorable character or performance in it (no, I don’t count Ethan Hawke giving his worst performance in years as good enough). There’s not a single truly exciting set piece in it. The logic behind it is flawed (now that prisons have become big business would the Corrections Corporation of America lose such a big chunk of profit by legalizing anything for any period of time?). The common sense holds up even less (why don’t the middle class and wealthy just take an international vacation during this time?). And the fact that we basically spend the entire film shackled to an extremely uninteresting suburban family makes the premise feel more limited than it should. The world is a dangerous, roving place for a few hours, and we spend the entirety of it in a house following a typical slashers vs. family showdown? That’s every other horror movie. Why create such an original idea if the setting you place it in is going to be the same?
What I Would Have Done Differently: The “Defend the House” thriller is tried and true, and you don’t need a wild premise to make that film. This premise should have followed the homeless black guy (he’s never even given a name in the movie) as he fights for his life on this night, going into and out of various, dangerous situations. Let’s go through the rabbit hole with him instead of watching Ethan Hawke and Co. cower for 80 minutes.