What a strange little movie this is. A Criminal named John (Crawford), looking for a Hideout tries taking advantage of the wealthy and harmless Warwick (Hyde-Pierce). Little does he know Warwick has bigger secrets than he could ever imagine.
The story is interesting from the start. Albeit a pointless scene or two, watching John work his criminal mind to get into Warwick's home and gain his trust using lies and trickery is suspenseful and smart. Once things begin to unravel the suspense begins to churn an interesting dialog between the two. A typical cat and mouse game, only it's between a desperate bank robber and a getting stranger by the minute home owner. Warwick begins asking more and more questions while at the same time revealing his own strange tendencies. You can see the comfort level and suspicion of each character rise and fall as if there were a meter above their heads charting it.
The second act, without giving anything away becomes an all-out romp fest of psycho. This is where David Hyde Pierce really shines. He puts it all out there in a way that's impressive, disturbing, and fun. Even though he had a lot of the same traits he had in his character in the TV show Frasier (highly educated and slightly snobbish), you can't tell me this guy doesn't have acting chops. Considering the character of Warwick has so many different emotions and sides to him, David Hyde Pierce took a role that would make or break film and nailed it. Clayne Crawford was also impressive to watch. I was surprised to see that he is not in many more films. He was charismatic and enthralling when on screen and did it playing a part that wasn't easy as the bad guy you had to sympathize for. He was very believable. Making you afraid of John when you needed to be, as well as root for him when appropriate.
So up to this point there has been great tension, drama, trickery and even a genuine scare or two. But the film unfortunately falls apart in the third act, as the story just can't hold up to all the twists and turns it throws at you. Eventually it comes crashing down like a tower of Jenga that has one (or five), carelessly placed blocks. The ending is confusing, not because it's hard to follow but because it doesn't seem to fit the rest of the film you were enjoying so much. Ultimately, The Perfect Host isn't perfect. But that doesn't mean the party wasn't fun.
By: Mike Holtz, http://www.youtube.com/WeWatchedAMovie
The story is interesting from the start. Albeit a pointless scene or two, watching John work his criminal mind to get into Warwick's home and gain his trust using lies and trickery is suspenseful and smart. Once things begin to unravel the suspense begins to churn an interesting dialog between the two. A typical cat and mouse game, only it's between a desperate bank robber and a getting stranger by the minute home owner. Warwick begins asking more and more questions while at the same time revealing his own strange tendencies. You can see the comfort level and suspicion of each character rise and fall as if there were a meter above their heads charting it.
The second act, without giving anything away becomes an all-out romp fest of psycho. This is where David Hyde Pierce really shines. He puts it all out there in a way that's impressive, disturbing, and fun. Even though he had a lot of the same traits he had in his character in the TV show Frasier (highly educated and slightly snobbish), you can't tell me this guy doesn't have acting chops. Considering the character of Warwick has so many different emotions and sides to him, David Hyde Pierce took a role that would make or break film and nailed it. Clayne Crawford was also impressive to watch. I was surprised to see that he is not in many more films. He was charismatic and enthralling when on screen and did it playing a part that wasn't easy as the bad guy you had to sympathize for. He was very believable. Making you afraid of John when you needed to be, as well as root for him when appropriate.
So up to this point there has been great tension, drama, trickery and even a genuine scare or two. But the film unfortunately falls apart in the third act, as the story just can't hold up to all the twists and turns it throws at you. Eventually it comes crashing down like a tower of Jenga that has one (or five), carelessly placed blocks. The ending is confusing, not because it's hard to follow but because it doesn't seem to fit the rest of the film you were enjoying so much. Ultimately, The Perfect Host isn't perfect. But that doesn't mean the party wasn't fun.
By: Mike Holtz, http://www.youtube.com/WeWatchedAMovie