By Seth Lukas Hynes
Knock at the Cabin
Starring Johnathan Groff, Ben Aldridge and Dave Bautista
Rated M
4/5
M. Night Shyamalan is a director of extremes: his good films are great (The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, Split, Old) and his bad films are awful (The Happening, The Last Airbender, After Earth), with few in-between. The taut, challenging thriller Knock at the Cabin is a new addition to his good list.
While vacationing in a remote cabin, Eric (Jonathan Groff), Andrew (Ben Aldridge) and their daughter Wen (Kristen Cui) are confronted by a group of armed strangers, who claim that this family must sacrifice one of their own to avert the apocalypse.
Like Old, Shyamalan’s previous film, Knock at the Cabin generates outstanding suspense with a small cast in a single location. Moreover, even the best Shyamalan films have a slightly stilted, awkward feel, and Shyamalan plays this as a strength in portraying normal people in a dark, strange situation.
A tense home invasion unfurls several layers of intrigue. Dave Bautista is the stand-out performer as Leonard, a gentle, considerate man haunted by his grim responsibility and apocalyptic visions, and radiates authority despite rarely raising his voice. Much of the tension comes from Eric and Andrew trying to escape, outwit or talk down the invaders, but with bursts of violence and clues from the outside world, you and the family come to question if the invaders are justified.
Knock at the Cabin has some tone and pacing issues. A series of flashbacks, while touching or poignant, dilute the tension of the present-day conflict. When the invaders start ritualistically murdering each other, this really undermines their sympathetic image, and the Biblical justification late in the narrative feels half-baked.
A compelling thriller that links a family’s love with the fate of the world, Knock at the Cabin is playing in most Victorian cinemas.
– Seth Lukas Hynes
