I stumbled upon this movie accidentally while watching TV and decided to give it a shot since there was nothing better on. I would have probably never decided to watch it deliberately because of the unsavory topic. And that would be a mistake.
Two things really stand out in this movie: Dan Stevens' acting and soundtrack. Stevenson plays this super calm and, as you can guess from the beginning, highly trained soldier who one day just shows up at the doorstep of some family who had lost their son in combat. He tells the mother how he knew her son, gets acquainted with the family and stays with them. Here you can see how good has Stevens pulled out this role (David): he was successful at being mysterious and somehow at the same time pretty familiar in a sense of having something familiarly odd about him. Throughout the first half you are never completely sure about who David is, what his plans are, is he a good or a bad guy and yet you know something will go wrong. You can smell that he's probably dangerous and that he takes advantage od family's sorrow. This creates tension which keeps the movie going and leads to paroxysm in which you finally meet real David and see what he's capable of and, very importantly, why he is capable of those things.
Soundtrack is slick and helps to give a finishing touch. Annies' 'Anthonio' Berlin breakdown version playing in some scenes is hard for me to get out of head. This movie proves that great soundtrack can make up for superficial plot and make movie much more enjoyable and smooth. Plus, songs playing match David's character and make him look more as deus ex machina and a helping nice guy he purportedly is.
Given the perspective a viewer has, which is, unlike main protagonists, that of having all information about what's happening, The Guest is very entertaining to watch coupled with great soundtrack. Don't expect something special or deep and you're surely have fun watching it. Even the critics gave this movie high rating which rarely happens with this genre. Hope I got you at least a little interested in seeing it!
Two things really stand out in this movie: Dan Stevens' acting and soundtrack. Stevenson plays this super calm and, as you can guess from the beginning, highly trained soldier who one day just shows up at the doorstep of some family who had lost their son in combat. He tells the mother how he knew her son, gets acquainted with the family and stays with them. Here you can see how good has Stevens pulled out this role (David): he was successful at being mysterious and somehow at the same time pretty familiar in a sense of having something familiarly odd about him. Throughout the first half you are never completely sure about who David is, what his plans are, is he a good or a bad guy and yet you know something will go wrong. You can smell that he's probably dangerous and that he takes advantage od family's sorrow. This creates tension which keeps the movie going and leads to paroxysm in which you finally meet real David and see what he's capable of and, very importantly, why he is capable of those things.
Soundtrack is slick and helps to give a finishing touch. Annies' 'Anthonio' Berlin breakdown version playing in some scenes is hard for me to get out of head. This movie proves that great soundtrack can make up for superficial plot and make movie much more enjoyable and smooth. Plus, songs playing match David's character and make him look more as deus ex machina and a helping nice guy he purportedly is.
Given the perspective a viewer has, which is, unlike main protagonists, that of having all information about what's happening, The Guest is very entertaining to watch coupled with great soundtrack. Don't expect something special or deep and you're surely have fun watching it. Even the critics gave this movie high rating which rarely happens with this genre. Hope I got you at least a little interested in seeing it!