Luke Evans plays a "driver" whose name is never uttered in the film; he's on a car trip, accompanied by Betty (Laura Ramsey). It would seem that they're a couple, in a relationship on the rocks because of an infidelity, but that's not the case. They encounter a crazed family of criminals, led by a patriarch named Hoag (the always solid Lee Tergesen). One of Hoags' men is a psycho named Flynn (Derek Magyar), who hassles the "couple" and ultimately abducts them. The twist is that Flynn has picked exactly the WRONG dude with which to mess around. The Driver is anything but a "normal", average-guy hero.
Some people may find "No One Lives" to be somewhat tough going, especially because there are NO real "good guys" in this story. It's more a case of "evil people encountering an even MORE evil person", and as such is pretty damn riveting visceral entertainment. This viewer very much just went with the flow, not caring much whether any of it made sense, and just had fun with the very dark (literally and figuratively) material. One could sense that makeup effects artist Robert Hall and his Almost Human company were having a ball because the movie is very, very gory. It lives up to its title as it devises one gruesome comeuppance after another for its characters, whether or not they're redeemable or not that bad in the first place. (When one dying person whines that they "didn't do anything wrong", our antagonist suggests that they're just unlucky, then.) The script, by David Cohen, tries to develop the relationship between our psycho lead and his "victim" in what is supposedly an interesting way, but in truth it's just not as effective as the action and carnage in this thing.
The studly Evans does a creditable job in the lead, displaying some good low key charisma. Among our various lowlifes, Magyar stands out as the impulsive, trigger happy, greedy Flynn, a nutter who inevitably meets his match. Adelaide Clemens is cast as Emma, and while it's commendable to see a character like hers not be intimidated by the criminal element surrounding her, she's just not that strong an actress. The cast is mostly passable; there's a good role for veteran character actor Gary Grubbs as a hotel proprietor.
Recommended for action, thriller, and horror / gore lovers who actually prefer to watch characters not really meant to be seen as "likable".
Seven out of 10.
Some people may find "No One Lives" to be somewhat tough going, especially because there are NO real "good guys" in this story. It's more a case of "evil people encountering an even MORE evil person", and as such is pretty damn riveting visceral entertainment. This viewer very much just went with the flow, not caring much whether any of it made sense, and just had fun with the very dark (literally and figuratively) material. One could sense that makeup effects artist Robert Hall and his Almost Human company were having a ball because the movie is very, very gory. It lives up to its title as it devises one gruesome comeuppance after another for its characters, whether or not they're redeemable or not that bad in the first place. (When one dying person whines that they "didn't do anything wrong", our antagonist suggests that they're just unlucky, then.) The script, by David Cohen, tries to develop the relationship between our psycho lead and his "victim" in what is supposedly an interesting way, but in truth it's just not as effective as the action and carnage in this thing.
The studly Evans does a creditable job in the lead, displaying some good low key charisma. Among our various lowlifes, Magyar stands out as the impulsive, trigger happy, greedy Flynn, a nutter who inevitably meets his match. Adelaide Clemens is cast as Emma, and while it's commendable to see a character like hers not be intimidated by the criminal element surrounding her, she's just not that strong an actress. The cast is mostly passable; there's a good role for veteran character actor Gary Grubbs as a hotel proprietor.
Recommended for action, thriller, and horror / gore lovers who actually prefer to watch characters not really meant to be seen as "likable".
Seven out of 10.