By George & Josh Bate
There’s something inexplicably cozy and intense about a contained thriller. It’s one thing to have a sprawling, suspenseful film that takes place over an extended period of time, across a number of locations, and featuring an array of characters, but stripping down a thriller to its barebones, in a minimalist approach not dissimilar from the great Hitchcock thrillers, brings a different flavor of intensity to a viewing experience. That’s the approach taken by director Kevin Lewis (Willy’s Wonderland) in his latest film Misdirection, a taut yet routine home-invasion thriller with an engaging mystery at its core.
Misdirection stars Olga Kurylenko (Black Widow, Quantum of Solace) as Sara and Oliver Trevena (The Gorge, Plane) as Jason, a couple and pair of thieves who embark on a final high-end heist. Their target is David Blume, played by Frank Grillo (Superman, Avengers: Endgame), a wealthy philanthropist, whose home Sara and Jason target on a seemingly quiet evening. Much to the surprise of Jason (and possibly Sara), David comes home early from a charitable event, forcing the duo to take him hostage as they figure out their next steps. Over the course of a long night, the couple’s trust in one another is pushed to its limits as David manipulates them and Jason begins to suspect that Sara is hiding something.
Although sporting a runtime under 90 minutes, Misdirection takes its time with calculated pacing. Writer Lacy McClory’s screenplay unfolds in a deliberate manner that allows the tension of an increasingly fraught situation to slowly build, rather than overwhelm with too much too soon. Albeit not breaking new ground for the home invasion sub-genre, the first act proves especially compelling as Kurylenko’s Sara and Trevena’s Jason see their meticulously laid plans disrupted by the sudden appearance of the man whose house they are robbing. It’s unclear how Sara and Jason are going to resolve this issue, a predicament made all the more stressful by Jason’s moral compass directing him to spare their hostage and Sara’s desire to murder their hostage putting the two at odds.
As it settles down from a tightly wound first act, Misdirection welcomes in a different brand of suspense by posing a question to Jason and, in turn, the audience. Did Sara purposefully botch this heist so that she could use it as an opportunity to kill Frank Grillo’s David? Or was this all a big mistake and Sara is eager to kill David merely to ensure the safety of her and her partner? David certainly leans toward the former answer, planting seeds of doubt in Jason’s ear that begin to fracture his trust in Sara.
The question of Sara’s motives certainly intrigues, and director Lewis does a fine job milking every ounce of tension from this dilemma. Unfortunately, the ultimate answer to the question underwhelms and plays out far too predictably. For a movie titled Misdirection, one would hope that the ending would converge on an unexpected, or at least subversive, note, but that’s disappointingly not the case. By the end, the story comes together in a cohesive manner, effectively tying up any loose ends and making clear statements about who the true protagonist and antagonist are. However, the resolution, which is made all the worse by the sudden introduction of overused licensed music, doesn’t pack the punch the preceding film deserves.
Even through a mixed ending, all three performers do well with the material at their disposal. Kurylenko cuts a stoic, methodical figure, who keeps her true intentions for this night close to her chest. Grillo, meanwhile, is as suave as ever and similarly masks his true character from the audience until the explosive third act. Finally, Trevena emerges as the audience’s point-of-view as he is caught in the middle of two opposing parties and is unsure who to believe. With few other performers in the film, the trio comprise the entirety of the runtime and excel in slowly escalating the tension and intrigue as the night unravels.
VERDICT: 6/10
A cozy and suspenseful home-invasion thriller, Misdirection unfolds almost entirely in a single setting, over the course of a single night, and features just three primary characters. After a first act that deliberately takes its time in building tension, director Kevin Lewis’ film poses an intriguing question to the audience that dominates the proceeding film: is Sara (our lead character played by Olga Kurylenko) telling the truth about her intentions for this heist? A methodically paced screenplay by Lacy McClory allows this question to simmer with the audience but converges on a disappointingly predictable resolution. Kurylenko, alongside her co-stars Frank Grillo and Oliver Trevena, deliver a trio of solid performances that enhance an already tightly wound thriller. It’s just a shame that a movie titled Misdirection doesn’t misdirect or surprise in the least.