Director: Erik Van Looy
Writer: Wesley Strick (Screenplay) Bart De Pauw (Original Screenplay)
Starring: Karl Urban, James Marsden, Wentworth Miller, Eric Stonestreet, Matthias Schoenaerts, Isabel Lucas, Rachael Taylor, Rhone Mitra, Valerie Cruz, Kali Rocha, Elaine Cassidy
Plot: Five married guys conspire to secretly share a penthouse loft in the city–a place where they can carry out hidden affairs and indulge in their deepest fantasies. But the fantasy becomes a nightmare when they discover the dead body of an unknown woman in the loft, and they realize one of the group must be involved.
There may be spoilers the rest of the review
Verdict: Simple Who Dun It?
Story: The Loft starts with Vincent (Urban) being questioned by the police where he has to explain the events from within the Loft. Luke (Miller) returns to the loft where he finds a dead body of a girl in the apartment. We continue to meet the rest of the friends who pay for the loft Chris (Marsden), Marty (Stonestreet) and Philip (Schoenaerts). We flashback to a year ago when the men use the loft and the agreement they all end up being able to use the loft whenever they want.
We flash between the beginnings of the loft as the guys enjoy the idea of being able to cheat on their wives without having to get caught. The surprises they uncover from the loft about which one of them killed the girl in the loft and the police investigation about what really happened.
The Loft gives us a massive who dun it story going on between friends, saying this it is annoying having to jump between the time lines. Another part of this film that really disappoints is the final reveal as we have no idea while the characters involved know where the story is going. This story is a bad example for how to act while married with all the men just looking to cheat on their wives. The story does have plenty of twists for us the audience to watch unfold but I do feel the re-watch value is going to be weak.
Actor Review
Karl Urban: Vincent is the architect that has designed the building and came up with the idea between the friends to have the loft. He has been controlling what is happening with his rules, he can have any woman who gives him a glance but this time it is his flame that could expose all the men. Karl is good in this role which is full of his charm throughout.
James Marsden: Chris is a doctor who is one of the guys who owns a key to the loft, he falls for a woman while leaving his wife at home as well as having to deal with his aggressive step-brother who is also a member of the loft. James is good even if we would have liked to have seen slightly more from his character.
Wentworth Miller: Luke is a member of the exclusive group that can use the loft, he never wants to cheat on his while in the loft. He is the one that finds the body while has his own secret up his selves. Wentworth is good as we don’t fully know enough about his character but for a good reason.
Eric Stonestreet: Marty is the loud mouth of the group, he always ends up biting off more than he can chew and could easily be the one that spills the beans. Eric is good in this role because we see him as the bumbling character.
Matthias Schoenaerts: Philip is the aggressive step-brother of Chris who marries into a rich family but has a drug problem which could also expose the truth. Matthias brings the aggressive character to the table which works next to the calmer characters in the leading role.
Support Cast: The Loft has a supporting cast which mostly includes the wives and girlfriends of the characters involved in being part of the loft.
Director Review: Erik Van Looy – Erik gives us a good mystery thriller that keeps us guessing throughout.
Mystery: The Loft keeps us guessing throughout the film as we wonder who actually is responsible for the death.
Romance: The Loft shows the dark side of love with cheats on loved ones.
Thriller: The Loft makes you wonder what happened to the characters involved.
Settings: The Loft puts one part of the story in the loft as the group figure out what happened while the rest are involved with how the characters got to the stage we find them in.
Suggestion: The Loft is one to try it might be on to enjoy but it isn’t a classic. (Try It)
Best Part: Mystery
Worst Part: By the end you will question certain parts of the film.
Believability: No
Chances of Tears: No
Chances of Sequel: No
Post Credits Scene: No
Oscar Chances: No
Budget: $14 Million
Runtime: 1 Hour 48 Minutes
Tagline: The right place to do wrong
Overall: Mystery thriller that keeps us wondering from start to finish even with a nap in the middle.
Rating
