Director: Michael Biehn
Writer: Michael Biehn (Screenplay) Reed Lackey (Story)
Starring: Michael Biehn, Jennifer Blanc, Ryan Honey, Danielle Harris, Denny Kirkwood
Plot: A man lives alone in a remote cabin and is surprised by his visitors.
There may be spoilers the rest of the review
Verdict: Thriller That Lacks That Punch
Story: The Victim starts when police officers Jonathan Cooger (Kirkwood) and James Harrison (Honey) kill Mary (Harris) (Yes, they did kill Danielle Harris in the opening sequence), Annie (Blanc) escapes through the woods to the remote cabin owned by Kyle (Biehn).
Kyle agrees to help Annie as we are luckily saved from wasting Harris with flashbacks which explain why the two friends found themselves in the woods partying. The two look for proof which can save her life but Kyle’s quiet life soon turns into a nightmare.
Thoughts on The Victim
Characters/Performance – Kyle is the lonely man who enjoys being away from the world in his cabin in the middle of the woods. He uses his brains to get to the bottom of the situation with the strangers. Annie is the woman in need of help after her best friend is murdered. James Harrison is the cop who killed Mary but now he needs to cover it all up to save his future.
Performance wise, Michael Biehn does take dual roles as director and star but he never convinces in the leading role even if he is the best performer. The rest of the acting is weak throughout the film never being convincing in any of the emotions needed for the characters.
Story – The story is easy to follow even though you feel there will be a twist because that is the only thing that could make this feel good. The flashbacks do all feel random because you find yourself wondering what the point actually is about them.
Thriller – The film does try its best to keep us on the edge of our seats but in the end just feels like it fizzles away.
Settings – The woods make for a good setting because we know the characters can’t just run from the situation but are going to make sure it all ends there.
Special Effects – The effects are used lightly and do come off but are not important.
Final Thoughts – This is a thriller that doesn’t click on the levels it needs to, we are left just watching not the best acting in not the best story.
Overall: Plain old thriller
Rating
