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Trespass (2011 movie)

A 2011 movie directed by Joel Schumacher.

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Schumacher, Schumacher...why must you torture me so?

Dec 16, 2011

by ryguy4738
posted in Movie Hype

Exclusive to the Lunch Network

Rating:

-4

* out of ****

I wonder if there's ever been a home-invasion movie which the home-invasion movies of the past existed; and the characters had watched those films, thus giving them knowledge when the big night (because most movies of this kind prefer the dark) begins. The characters - from heroes to villains - in Joel Schumacher's "Trespass" apparently haven't seen a home-invasion flick before; they do their best not to dodge each cliché as it comes their way, but to almost...embrace such things. The film concerns a married couple (Nicolas Cage and Nicole Kidman) who are at the point in marriage where neither side feels perfectly content; and this one particular night is about to change their lives for the better or for the worst.

The first indication which lead to my conclusion that these people have never seen "Funny Games" - "Panic Room" or maybe even "Home Alone" - was the fact that the husband is happy to let a police officer and those accompanying him through the gates that lead to his fancy house, and without even seeing their faces (only the uniform and badges manage to show up on the security monitor). In an instant, these men - who are indeed dressed like police officers - intimidate, humiliate, and threaten the couple. They seem to know a good deal about the people they assault; including that they have a daughter (Liana Liberato), who is out at a party for part of the night and is soon to return - and also that the husband must be quite wealthy, since he spends large amounts of money on diamonds and ultimately, his home.

Oh, this is such a tedious exercise. The attackers demand Cage's character open the safe that they keep somewhat hidden in their household; so that they can claim all the money for themselves. But why? The reasons are ever-changing, as Schumacher clearly wants us to think a lot about the situation and continue to re-assess certain things. Certain home-invasion thrillers can do that effectively and emerge victorious; this one does not.

What ruins it all is Schumacher's direction. There's absolutely no ambition there. The lighting is weak and at times terribly off, the casting is mediocre at best, and the stylistic choices have all been seen before. The filmmaker - who also made fun flicks such as "Phone Booth" and "The Lost Boys" - surrenders any of his signature traits and characteristics for a directorial style that, in the end, gives birth to a movie that is completely lacking of any sort of proper suspense or tension. There's an intended sense of danger, but we never feel ANY of it. It's all about who has the gun, the needle, or the blunt object.

So there remain no surprises. The film is a series of irrelevant, stupid plot twists and the style consistently tests our patience for the material. If you're like me and you've seen a good deal of home-invasion films before this one, you'll know how to tell the difference between a good one and a bad one; whilst "Trespass" simply falls into the latter category. You see: when a movie like this one - a thriller that's always trying to make a statement or a point - can't even disturb with realistic violence and create the intimidating atmosphere that is expected from it, you know you've got a boring, suspense-free ride ahead of you. When a film feels long even at 90 minutes, you've officially created a clunker. But then again, that's still a clunker in yet another year filled with them. "Trespass" is thankfully forgettable in just about every field.

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woopak_the_thrill December 19, 2011

I am so staying away from this one...

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About the reviewer

Ryan J. Marshall (ryguy4738)
Ranked #13

It's very likely that the only kind of reviews I'll ever post here are movie reviews. I'm very passionate about film; and at this point, it pretty much controls my life. Film gives us a purpose; … more