Action/Suspense/Thriller home-invasion film written and directed by Neil LaBute and starring Maggie Q. The movie revolves around Tess, an Iraq War veteran and a recovering alcoholic, who returns home to attend her sister's bachelorette party at their family farm. The film takes a dark turn when a group violently invades the party, and Tess has to use her military training to protect herself and the other women from the violent assault.
LaBute stumbles into the common pitfall of romanticizing PTSD. Tess, like many of our real-life service members, unfortunately suffers from it, but the film falls into the cliché of presenting its symptoms as beneficial. In the movie, Tess's PTSD symptoms, such as heightened suspicion and strong startle response, coincidentally align with the actual threat present at the bachelorette party. This narrative choice can suggest that her trauma has somehow prepared her for this extreme situation. In reality, PTSD is a complex and often debilitating condition. It can manifest in various ways, including hypervigilance, flashbacks, and avoidance behaviors, all of which Tess presents with in the film. However, it does not work as the sort of "sixth-sense" often implied in films, including this one, and is something people have to work hard at to overcome. In other words, in real life, people succeed despite their trauma, not because of it; this film has that backwards.
Despite these criticisms, the performances from the entire cast were good. The action scenes, although sparse, were solid and suspenseful, with LaBute's skill in crafting suspense seeing the film approach an ominous horror-like atmosphere. Anything with Maggie Q is always worth a watch, and not just because she's gorgeous; she's a phenomenal actor and her presence elevates any film she's in. It's a shame that LaBute didn't tap deeper into her martial arts skills and athleticism, which could have greatly added to the film's fight scenes. This film would have been a perfect showcase for them, and their inclusion would have only made a decent film better.
Overall it's a good one-time watch for fans of the genre. 6/10.
