Review #1,360: 'A Quiet Place' (2018)

Looking at his page on IMDb, former star of the American version of The Office John Krasinski has previously directed two features, neither of which I have seen or even heard of. It would seem like the third time's a charm, as his latest, the riveting horror A Quiet Place, is just about as accomplished and tightly-directed as you would expect from any seasoned veteran. Teaming up to co-star with his real-life wife Emily Blunt, Krasinski has crafted one of the most memorable and genuinely scary horror movies in recent memory, and one of the biggest sleeper hits of 2018. Taking place in the now-familiar territory of a post-apocalyptic landscape, A Quiet Place shares more in common tonally with John Hillcoat's The Road than, say, George Miller's Mad Max: Fury Road.

It's the near-future and it's apparent that great misfortune has fallen upon the Earth's inhabitants. The Abbot family, consisting of father Lee (Krasinski), mother Evelyn (Blunt), and their three children Regan (Millicent Simmonds), Marcus (Noah Jupe) and youngest Beau (Cade Woodward), are trying desperately to survive, foraging for supplies, food and whatever else that may prove useful in an abandoned library. On their journey home, an accident occurs which devastates the family and reveals to us precisely what has befallen our planet, and why the Abbot's were so keen to make as little noise as possible. They are surrounded by spider-legged creatures with the strength to break through steel with ease and the speed to reach its intended victim in a split second. The hideous creatures are completely blind, but have hearing so powerful that they are able to pin-point a sound with uncanny accuracy, and reach the source with lightning speed.

After this mood-setting opening scene, we wisely jump forward in time over a year. The Abbots have seemingly taken every precaution imaginable: they walk barefoot on sand-covered floors, eat their meals from leave rather than breakable plates, and only communicate with sign-language. Krasinski, along with co-writers Bryan Woods and Scott Beck, have fun with laying out traps and red-herrings for their characters to possibly fall prey of, like an exposed nail near the bottom of a flight of wooden stairs, or the fact that Evelyn is heavily pregnant. But it's careful not to fall into the traps of genre cliche and predictability, as the Abbots are apparently a step ahead of their tormentors. Lee spends his spare time tracking the creatures' paths and calculating their numbers, as well searching for a way to possibly kill them. He also tries to build a working hearing aid for his deaf daughter, after many failed attempts. With Regan also feeling responsible for the tragedy at the film's opening, her relationship with her father is strained.

A Quiet Place is as much about both the fragility and strength of the family unit as it is about unseen monsters in the dark. Krasinski and Blunt themselves have children together, and no doubt fed their own experiences, fears and difficulties into their characters, albeit placing them in a more extreme and hostile environment. This also helps us to connect with the characters, fearing for their safety when that inevitable damning sound is made, and feeling genuine concern at the idea of a parent failing to protect their child. The action is intensified, and A Quiet Place really earns it scares. Every movement is a jump-shock waiting to happen, but it's scary for the build-up and the knowledge of what comes after. The performances are great all round, with Millicent Simmonds - who is deaf in real life - making a real impact, surely cementing her status as one of the most promising young actors around. Krasinski has a done an impressive job of dodging being known forever as the guy from The Office and proving himself to be a strong dramatic actor, but he'll be best remembered here for his skills behind the camera. A Quiet Place turns what could have been a routine jump-shocker into an unbearably tense 90 minutes with a real beating heart.


Directed by: John Krasinski
Starring: Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe, Cade Woodward
Country: USA

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie

Review #1,303: 'Suburbicon' (2017)

The town of Suburbicon was the picture-postcard image of the American Dream and wholesome family values for Americans in the 1950s and 60s. No doubt for many, it still is, with its picket fences, perfectly-trimmed lawns, cheery residents, and clean, crime-free streets. But of course, this Norman Rockwell painting come to life is only a utopia if you're white, and so the foundations of this suburban slice of apple pie are rocked when a black family, the Mayers, move in. The chatty and chubby postman suddenly starts to stutter and quickly back away at the sight of them, and neighbours gawk open-mouthed while they water their lawns. Soon enough, town meetings turn to right-wing rallies, Confederate flags start to appear, and the black family find their home surrounded by an angry white mob calling for them to pack up and get out.

Set in 1959, before the Civil Rights Act would make such an occurrence a hate-crime, Suburbicon has plenty of satirical bite and good intentions, but feels like a blender stuffed with half-baked ideas. Strangely enough, the arrival of the Mayers and their subsequent experiences isn't the focus of the film, but instead plays out as a sub-plot, escalating in the background while the main (and way less interesting) story unfolds. Snatched up by George Clooney and writing partner Grant Heslov, Suburbicon was once a canned Coen Brothers project from the 1980s, a story of a shocking crime hidden away behind the plastic smiles of American suburbia, and may have possibly served as the inspiration for the Brothers' 1996 masterpiece Fargo. But Clooney, here directing his sixth feature film - and the first in which he doesn't appear in the front of the camera - is politically-minded and insists on making the film's themes contemporary. The result is an unfocused, all too mannered mess.

Looking much more like your typical resident of Suburbicon, Matt Damon's Gardner Lodge is a bespectacled, slightly overweight family man who lives with his disabled wife Rose (Julianne Moore) and his son Nicky (Noah Jupe). One night, Nicky is awoken by his father who tells him to get dressed and come downstairs. There waiting are two strange men, who intimidate and humiliate the family before knocking them all out with chloroform. The result of this horrific home invasion is the death of Rose, and the remaining family, including Rose's twin sister Margaret (also Moore), are apparently rocked by the experience. Margaret moves in to offer emotional support, and Gardner stoically tries to get on with things despite everyone offering their condolences at every turn. But is there something more sinister at play? Why does Nicky witness his father visiting his aunt's bedroom late at night and failing to pick the two men (played by Glenn Fleshler and Alex Hassell) out of a line-up when they are apprehended by the police?

Clooney wants you to ask these questions, but the film takes it time to answer them. Suburbicon often plays like a mystery, trying to keep you guessing despite the fun really lying in watching its characters deal with the consequences of their actions. It's far too restrained to be as savage as it needs to be in order to be compelling, and really shines a slight on the Coen's talent for bringing their stories to life. We should be laughing as Gardner's walls close in around him and wincing at his efforts to escape them, but instead we're lumped with figuring out the plot and distracted by the increasingly hostile mob gathering outside the Mayers' place. Thank God then, for Oscar Isaac, who pops up as a charismatic, moustached insurance investigator who doesn't quite buy Gardner and Margaret's game. It's a great role, one I would have expected Clooney himself to play, and livens up the entire movie as it starts to really struggle to handle the many plot-threads. Suburbicon has aspirations to be a movie for the history books: the story of walls, hostility and chaos clearly tie in with Trump's America. But as much as I like him, Clooney isn't the director for such a task, and Suburbicon is too much of a confused slog to pack much of a punch.


Directed by: George Clooney
Starring: Matt Damon, Julianne Moore, Oscar Isaac, Noah Jupe, Glenn Fleshler, Alex Hassell
Country: UK/USA

Rating: **

Tom Gillespie