The Home Invaders

Some beautifully evocative lighting, costumes, hair styles, and several impressive scenes convey the atmosphere of Film Noir in this throwback, and director Fredianelli (who also appears as a hilarious criminal lackey) gives a colorful performance, but the Wild Dogs staple of aggressively creepy, unrealistic characters too often derails a story buried beneath pages of exposition. This in a genre built on rapid fire characterizations and dialogue?

It doesn't help things that many of the East coast accents come and go with the cast. The slow pacing and huge gaps in conversation are also troubling when compared to characters in "They Live By Night" or "The Killers". Still, the movie has its share of period-breaking entertainment when it doesn't focus too much on pouty tough guys:

Inter-racial rape is featured during a robbery, which bucks convention. (And also provides some "ick" factor). One dirty parole officer says he's "going on hiatus", a man's hotel room comes with a staircase, and there's a nightclub cameo from "The Artist", last scene in the Scott Hellon film "A Decision to Choose to Ask Why". Also, we finally see a movie where a masked robber simply pulls off his mask because he "can't breathe with this thing on!".

Overall, the look and design of the movie has a lot going for it-- ignoring the CGI Tommy Gun bursts--and the sets are often exceptional, including a bedroom with a real safe and walls begging to be demolished. A bold attempt at a genre worth revisiting many times over.

THE HOME INVADERS is a solid throwback to the film noir genre of the 40s and 50s. It's shot in black white, Academy Ratio, and is full of moody low-key lighting. Probably the most spot-on of all Fredianelli's period films, this movie is full of wonderful costumes, props, locations, and sets. Even more important, the casting is pitch-perfect and you've got actors that not only have the proper genre physicality, but also perform like real actors from the noir period. Jeremy Koerner (sporting a short back and sides haircut) gives a solid, nuanced performance as newly paroled safe-cracker Sid Avery. Ray Medved gives gravity to the role of bossman Frank Winters while the beautiful Maggie VandenBerghe shines as a classic femme fatale in the Veronica Lake tradition. Furthermore, Fredianelli himself shows up in a memorable supporting role sporting a Brooklyn accent as a hard-nosed henchman.

While it starts off slow, THE HOME INVADERS picks up steam and proves to be a highly suspenseful caper movie. Heist movie fans will recognize the rudiments of everything from RIFIFI to RESERVOIR DOGS in the movie's DNA and Fredianelli exploits these tropes to maximum effect. If there's a flaw to point out, it's that the first act isn't quite as immersive as the rest of the film. While there's some seamless blending of stock footage, a lack of extras (specifically absent from a courtroom location where we hear ambiance, but see no one save the leads) and look at the outside world detract from what otherwise seems like an indie with high production values. As the movie progresses however, things fire on all cylinders and we're treated to the tensest of heist sequences as well as a powerful shootout climax in a crowded night club. While the movie plays more like a film noir "greatest hits" album than something completely fresh, that's not necessarily a bad thing. THE HOME INVADERS delivers the goods and stands as one of Fredianelli's most polished efforts. A fine piece of independent filmmaking.