This will contain spoilers, so don't read on if you want to experience the full disappointment that this film delivers.
First of all, the idea is fantastic. It could have been a superb psychological thriller or an outstanding horror movie. Instead it turned out to be complete trash. The problems are as follows: 1. Every plot twist is predictable. His wife's undisclosed pregnancy, his shooting of the wife, his eventual discovery that something really was going on in his house, the fact that his neighbor wanted her husband dead so that she could be with his friend. All of that was telegraphed long before the reveal, which meant there were no surprises.
2. The ending doesn't follow. The premise is this: Man2 comes to Man1's house to use the phone, claiming the pay phone doesn't work outside. Man2 then disappears and Man1 thinks he is living in the house unseen. Man1 starts to lose his mind over this and eventually shoots his estranged wife when he mistakes her for Man2. (SIDE NOTE: Why could the wife talk at the end, but not when Man1 was firing bullets at her? No scream, nothing. It makes no sense) Man1 then goes in search of information about Man2 and finds his home. He takes up secret residence their with Man2's wife. She never knows Man1 is in the house. Eventually we learn about the basement and the fact that Man2 spent a lot of time down there. Finally, Man1 explores the basement and finds Man2 dead in a surprisingly well-constructed tunnel wide enough to drive a golf-cart through and lit with electricity.
There is no way to make any of this fit. First, it isn't clear if Man2 ever lived in Man1's house. If he did, why was the tunnel walled up perfectly? It could not have been the means by which Man2 came and went from Man1's house unseen because Man1 was in the basement frequently and the wall was clearly intact. Further, it appeared that Man2 was trying to break through the wall, which suggests he had never gotten through it before he died and thus could not have used it as an ingress.
At this point, you may think that Man2 was trying to get OUT after his wife locked in the basement so that she could carry on with the best friend. However, this also doesn't fit. It doesn't fit because no one trying to escape takes the time to build an elaborate tunnel, complete with brick archways and electricity. It also, in no way, ties together why Man2 ever went to Man1's house to place a phone call. If he were in danger, he could have just used the pay phone that he claimed was broken.
So, we have no reason for this tunnel AT ALL. The rest of the plot makes sense, but this ending totally destroys that. This could have been just a disappointment because it was so predictable. Instead, it was a disappointment for that reason and because the story used to get the ball rolling doesn't make any sense in the end. Ultimately, you get the "God in the Machine" feeling where the author just came up with some BS to try to tell one story and inadvertently told two stories and had no freaking clue how to conclude both.
Total junk. Don't watch it. Save yourself the 100 minutes.
P.S. If this review is disjointed, its because the utter insanity of this crap-fest is still swimming in my brain.
First of all, the idea is fantastic. It could have been a superb psychological thriller or an outstanding horror movie. Instead it turned out to be complete trash. The problems are as follows: 1. Every plot twist is predictable. His wife's undisclosed pregnancy, his shooting of the wife, his eventual discovery that something really was going on in his house, the fact that his neighbor wanted her husband dead so that she could be with his friend. All of that was telegraphed long before the reveal, which meant there were no surprises.
2. The ending doesn't follow. The premise is this: Man2 comes to Man1's house to use the phone, claiming the pay phone doesn't work outside. Man2 then disappears and Man1 thinks he is living in the house unseen. Man1 starts to lose his mind over this and eventually shoots his estranged wife when he mistakes her for Man2. (SIDE NOTE: Why could the wife talk at the end, but not when Man1 was firing bullets at her? No scream, nothing. It makes no sense) Man1 then goes in search of information about Man2 and finds his home. He takes up secret residence their with Man2's wife. She never knows Man1 is in the house. Eventually we learn about the basement and the fact that Man2 spent a lot of time down there. Finally, Man1 explores the basement and finds Man2 dead in a surprisingly well-constructed tunnel wide enough to drive a golf-cart through and lit with electricity.
There is no way to make any of this fit. First, it isn't clear if Man2 ever lived in Man1's house. If he did, why was the tunnel walled up perfectly? It could not have been the means by which Man2 came and went from Man1's house unseen because Man1 was in the basement frequently and the wall was clearly intact. Further, it appeared that Man2 was trying to break through the wall, which suggests he had never gotten through it before he died and thus could not have used it as an ingress.
At this point, you may think that Man2 was trying to get OUT after his wife locked in the basement so that she could carry on with the best friend. However, this also doesn't fit. It doesn't fit because no one trying to escape takes the time to build an elaborate tunnel, complete with brick archways and electricity. It also, in no way, ties together why Man2 ever went to Man1's house to place a phone call. If he were in danger, he could have just used the pay phone that he claimed was broken.
So, we have no reason for this tunnel AT ALL. The rest of the plot makes sense, but this ending totally destroys that. This could have been just a disappointment because it was so predictable. Instead, it was a disappointment for that reason and because the story used to get the ball rolling doesn't make any sense in the end. Ultimately, you get the "God in the Machine" feeling where the author just came up with some BS to try to tell one story and inadvertently told two stories and had no freaking clue how to conclude both.
Total junk. Don't watch it. Save yourself the 100 minutes.
P.S. If this review is disjointed, its because the utter insanity of this crap-fest is still swimming in my brain.