-Contributed by Luke Merrill
No
One Lives
No One Lives, another title that is still under the new releases at the
local video stores is the second movie that was picked for screening at Horror
Camp. Heralded as being directed by Ryûhei Kitamura, known for Midnight MeatTrain and Versus amongst other movies, I was excited to see what No One Lives
has to offer.
No One Lives opens up with some classic horror footage of a scantily clad
girl running for her life through the woods. Unlike most horror flicks this
girl shows some sensibility, as she tries to keep her screaming to a minimum
and masterfully unhinges herself from various snares and traps in her path. But
ultimately, as she’s about to make it to the highway, her means of escape back
to civilization, she gets snared up into
a tree. The credits roll and we shelve this scene for later within the film.
Only the Gingerbread Girl can outrun the crazies!
We then flash to a man and woman stopping off during their road trip
cross country. The man is played by Luke Evans, who has had much success in the
past couple of years playing roles in movies such as The Clash of the Titans
and The Immortals. The couple eats and makes small talk about some issues they
have about their relationship. The woman
hints about there being another woman, but they resolve these issues and
continue on their journey. The third cast of characters are introduced, a group
of gang members scoring small time heists as they rob from the rich led by LeeTergesen, most popularly known as being a lead character in the HBO prison drama
OZ.
At one point, one of the hothead bandits come across the couple and proceeds
to hijack their car and hold the couple prisoner. In an effort to obtain Bank
info and PIN numbers they kill off the man’s travelling companion. But back at
the bandit’s home they encounter a surprise. Located in the trunk of the car is
the girl from the opening credits. As is quickly revealed in the movie’s
surprising turn of events, this particular man is not just some unlucky traveler. He is, in actuality, a highly trained and methodical psychopath, who is now hell bent on
getting vengeance on losing his lover, and will stop at nothing to get the woman
he has been holding captive back.
Life would be easier if everyone had nametags.
From here on the movie, although entertaining starts to be a little predictable,
at least from the standpoint that Luke Evans will now mercilessly hunt down
this band of jokers with surgical precision. The gang of roving bandits wasn’t
exactly portrayed as being particularly threatening or menacing, so there
really isn’t anyone in particular Evans can’t make short work of. Evans is enjoyable to watch, he’s cold, contemplative, and extremely physical when the need arises. Watching him perform his pursuit speed, when giving chase to one of his potential victims, and slithering through impossibly small windows and vents was a spectacle to behold, He had me convinced of the old adage that lunatics have the strength and speed of 10 ordinary men.
The more I reflect on it the more I like the film, but the only grievance
I have is that Evans is just a little too likable. We (the audience) end up
rooting for the psychotic killer to kill everyone in the movie. This is
alright, seeing as he’s killing murderers and thieves, but towards the finale
of the movie he actually does some pretty humanizing stuff, that has the audience
saying, “Well he’s not such a bad guy
after all” This kind of psycho-friendly behavior, that’s seen in shows like
Dexter, glorify and humanize serial killers. It’s kind of fun to be in the audience
and share this “I’m an insane psycho killer” secret with the protagonist, but I’d
prefer if the films depicted these men as the reptilian killers they truly are.
I mean, its fantasy so it’s ok to have fun with it, but never discount that
these are seriously dangerous individuals.
So on the whole No One Lives, is an overall alright experience if you
like chest-bumping tough guys getting served their comeuppance. Evans’s portrayal
was top-notch, but I still prefer psychopath movies like Natural Born Killers
or American Psycho, on account it more accurately portrays the killers as NOT
human. Come back tomorrow for the last in the series of extended holiday
reviews as we cover Elijah Wood in “Maniac” . Yes, Another Psychopath Movie,
possibly without some of the pitfalls I saw in this film. Until Then, Sleep
Tight and don’t be late for your day
jobs, I ‘ve got all my clocks rolled back here. Your Head Counselor signing
off.
Tags: Movie Night at the Rec Hall, Serial Killers, Horror Camp, No One Lives
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