No Exit

I hadn't heard about the 2022 mystery thriller "No Exit" prior to getting to sit down and watch it. So I didn't have any expectations from writers Andrew Barrer and Gabriel Ferrari, nor did I know what the movie was about. So yeah, I entered "No Exit" with a totally blank page, ready to be entertained and impressed.

I liked the movie's cover and it was what initially lured me to give the movie a glance. And I am actually glad that I did, because director Damien Power really put together a wholesome movie here. It was definitely a movie that surprised me and turned out to be rather enjoyable and entertaining.

The storyline told in "No Exit", as written by Andrew Barrer and Gabriel Ferrari, was a rather nicely written one. The construction of the narrative was compelling and gripping, and I quickly got swept up and submerged into the narrative. And that was one of the movie's strongest aspects.

But the movie also had a strong aspect in its cast ensemble. Talk about having a group of skilled performers together for a movie. Sure, the cast list is relatively small for "No Exit", but the actors and actresses hired for the movie definitely put on great performances and carried the movie quite well. I was not familiar with lead actress Havana Rose Liu prior to this movie, but she really carried "No Exit" phenomenally with her spot on performance. It was, of course, a treat to have Dennis Haysbert in the movie, because he is usually always one to put on a great performance, and "No Exit" was no different. I wasn't familiar with Danny Ramirez and David Rysdahl either, and they also were quite gifted.

I didn't find the storyline to be predictable, as other reviewers have done. I guess I just didn't speculate too much about who had done it and such, and instead just leaned back and enjoyed the movie for what it was and let the mystery unravel before me on the screen.

I genuinely enjoyed director Damien Power's 2022 mystery thriller "No Exit", and it is a movie that I will warmly recommend you sit down to watch if you enjoy mystery thrillers.

My rating of "No Exit" lands on a solid seven out of ten stars.

As "No Exit" (2022 release; 95 min.) opens, we are introduced to Darby, a young woman who is in rehab. When Darby learns that her mother has gone to the hospital, Darby makes her escape and steals a car. Alas, there is a blizzard coming and Darby must shelter in a remote visitors center with 4 other stranded people... At this point we are 10 minutes into the movie.

Couple of comments: this is directed by Damien Power (in just his 2nd feature length). Here he brings Taylor Adams' novel of the same name onto the screen. I can't tell for sure, but this has all the feelings of a COVID-19 production: almost the entire movie plays out in a single location (the Visitors Center), and with a small cast. The initial 30 minutes are a bit slow, but then the movie finds a second gear, so to speak, and really kicks in. This movie is super plot-heavy so the less said, the better. All but one of the cast were no-names to me. The only one I recognized was Dennis Haysbert. Bottom line: this isn't going to get any awards nominations, but I quite enjoyed my time with this.

"No Exit" was originally intended to be released in theaters, but resulting from the COVID mess, it got delayed and delayed and then finally pulled from the schedule altogether. It recently started airing on Hulu, where I caught it the other night. If you are in the mood for a scary kidnapping drama/thriller, I'd readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.

"No Exit" is a quick, fast paced 95 minutes that features a good story and a great lead performance.

What I liked about this movie is of course as I said the lead. Havana Rose Liu is great in this movie. She gets to shine a lot here. All the other performances too are mostly pretty good. The movie is very fast paced. It's gets to the plot very quick The story I also really like. It defiantly takes inspiration from other movies, but it's intriguing enough. There's some really great tension in the final 20 minutes of the movie. And finally I like how at times they presented some of the twists. It was actually kinda shocking.

Now this isn't an amazing movie and it does have its issues. It is derivative of some other thrillers. The movie isn't as intense as I wanted it to be. I think there could've been a little more tension, and finally the movie kinda just abruptly ended and it just felt like the movie didn't know how to end.

Overall despite being a little derivative of other movies, "No Exit" is a quick, fast paced thriller with a great lead performance, and enough intrigue to keep you interested.

Had no expectations or knowledge of this film and didn't know of the novel it is based on. Solely based on the film, it is a decent enough thriller with some thrills but nothing too memorable. A lot of what occurs is vastly predictable including the criminals actions and the entire setup.

In the end what occurred is what we saw coming. Overall it was solid enough for a one time watch, didn't drag on too much and had some thrills. The leading actress stands out and her character is given enough depth and backstory giving the audience a reason to care.

It's like one of those 2000's thrillers with twisty plots and ensemble casts. The kind of movies that would have starred Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd, Angelina Jolie and similar but these days can be find on your average streamer. Average and basic but keeps you entertained. If you have seen many movies like this you will easily figure out all the twists in advance and be able to guess where the plot goes. But there are far worse choices out there..