Riddle

"Riddle" is a fun thriller that catches your attention early and keeps it throughout. Elisabeth Harnois plays Holly, a high-school girl with a younger brother who suffers from Thompson's Disease. One day, he disappears and she is, of course, devastated.

Cut to three years later. She is back from college helping out with the Farmer's Market when she becomes convinced she has seen her missing brother. She follows the trail to the town of Riddle, which just happens to be the home town of the last two boys who saw her brother. Riddle looks to be a town on the door of Hell -- completely run down and sparsely populated. The major drawing point of the town seems to be the wonder of Nature that is Diora Baird, who is the daughter the less than helpful Sheriff (Val Kilmer). But Riddle also has secrets, and they are brought out into the open as Holly continues to dig where, as she is told, she doesn't belong.

Lots of good stuff here. The story moves quickly and briskly. Even though you'll probably guess the culprit early on (I did), there's enough ancillary mystery to make that OK. The early scenes prior to young Nate's disappearance are genuinely unsettling and make a couple of characters way more complex than they have a right to in a film like this. And finally, it's not surprising that Harnois and Baird are friends in real life -- they have an easy going, natural chemistry together that really helps drive the film forward.

Nothing classic here, guys, but better than a lot and definitely worth checking out.

Firstly, I truly find it hard to accept someone reviewing this movie and giving it a 10...wrong movie I think. I gave this movie 2 stars only because I thought the idea was good but the outcome was not so good. I believe in giving young actors a chance and I felt they tried their best in a lack lustered affair.Val Kilmer, what do I say...had about 20 lines in the whole move and was so poor maybe he should have hung his boots up after the 80's comedy, Top Secret. He just didn't want to be there, his body language was about as solid as a wet paper bag. The script had so many holes in it and the basis of the storyline was "riddled" with flaws. The filming was also very D grade. No smooth transitions, no fluency. At times the camera work was trying too hard, too hard to be shot as a blockbuster instead of just being the movie it was suppose to be. It could have been a good B grader, however in my opinion it didn't even reach the perils of an F.

Started off really, really well - I was hooked and even had to pause it whilst I went away for a weewee and quick cuppa tea. >;o)

I came back and then it just descended into trash. I wont even try to descibe the rest other than that I havent a clue how to.

Poor old Val Kilmer has hit the bargain basement bucket along with Ron Perlman, Lance Henriksen, John Cusack, Christian Slater and sadly Nicolaus Cage.

My question is really where did the $7,000,000 that it cost to make this tragedy go - I surmise Val Kilmers pocket!

Do your self a favour and bypass this one its an hour and half wasted.

I desperately wanted to like this movie only because I'm a Kilmer fan, and appreciate the efforts of veteran actors like William Sadler, but even they couldn't save this poorly written piece from rental oblivion. If this were a student film piece, this movie would certainly showcase the promise and potential of everyone involved. Even though this was made on a low budget, it's a flat-footed attempt at a thriller. This is one of Kilmer's "paycheck player" roles, and is not worth viewing if you're a fan. The younger actors are not terrible, but they don't bring much to the table, either. Use your Redbox free rental promo code for something else.

While the movie starts off pretty moody (a good thing), it does turn pretty quickly and becomes pretty ugly. Side stories that seem not to matter, characters getting disposed off and a general weird feeling make this an almost uncomfortable watch. I do like Diora Baird a lot, not only because of her looks, but neither she nor the other leading female can save this film.

Val Kilmer does his thing, which means almost nothing at all. It's not the pounds he has layered upon on his body, but the fact, that it seems, he forgot how to act. Is this really the same man, that gave a phenomenal performance as Doc in Tombstone? It's hard to believe, again not only because he doesn't look like that guy anymore. But the teenage boys playing their parts in here are as bad. So many flaws in this one, I wouldn't really know where to stop. It does look good though (photography that is).