Genre: Thriller, crime
Despite a bland ending and plotline inconsistencies, Netflix’s Don’t Move is a masterclass in suspenseful cinema and elevates the conventional story arcs audiences have come to expect from thrillers.
When a killer injects her with a paralytic agent, protagonist Iris (Kelsey Asbille) must run, fight and hide before her body completely shuts down. Richard (Finn Wittrock), the killer, lets her know that she has 20 minutes before she becomes immobile, and stops chasing her, knowing that she won’t get far.
Audiences watch Iris’ determined effort to race against time while getting as far away from her kidnapper as possible.
The many close calls she averts, adds to the intensity of the scenes and heightens audience fear and hatred of the killer.
The gut-wrenching twists, such as when Iris comes close to being rescued or escaping, heighten the horror and unsettling ambience of the film.
The set design is tightly crafted, enhancing the feeling of confinement that Iris is feeling with the use of tight shots and darkened frames to show viewers her entrapment and isolation.
The only displeasing part of the film is the unrealistically stupid decisions some of the characters make, as well as the anti-climatic ending of the film, which is predictable and unsatisfying, as it leaves a few questions unanswered.
Despite this, the creators of Don’t Move creatively stretched a simple story arc into a tension-packed 90 minutes, making for an excellent piece of cinematic escapism.
Don’t Move is available to stream on Netflix.
