Plot: Jonas Olsen, a chess player haunted by a tragic past, is given an opportunity to participate in a mysterious game, Divertimento.
Runtime: 31 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Divertimento starts when chess player Jonas Olsen (Lutz) gets to have a rematch against his greatest opponent Gustav (Rapace). However, as the game unfolds, Jonas starts getting haunted by his past and a memory he can’t shake. He finds himself disturbed in a way he can’t explain and struggles to remember what has happened.
Verdict on Divertimento
Divertimento is a mystery thriller following a chess champion haunted by his past. It follows him as his routine game ends up finding wondering about a bigger mystery in his life. However, when things start getting out of hand, he finds himself questioning his own reality.
This might only be 30 minutes long, but it sure keeps you guessing as to what is going on. Kellan Lutz gives us a wonderful performance as we see the world unravelling around us. This is a smartly written mystery that ends up going in a direction you would never have imagined.
Final Thoughts – Divertimento keeps us guessing and shocks us along the way.
Gabriel Carter (The Twilight Saga Breaking Dawn Part 1)
Plot: A comic-book creator working at a burlesque club enlists the help of a colleague to figure out what’s behind the disappearances of young women in their circle in this oddball neo-noir.
Runtime: 1 Hour 41 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Door Mouse starts when we meet comic-book creator Mouse (Law) who moonlights as a burlesque dancer. She has a routine to follow giving her a chance to focus on her comic books. Meanwhile, at the club, Mama (Janssen) keeps the troublemakers in line.
When one of the dancers Doe-Eyes (Do) doesn’t turn up for work, Mouse and Ugly (Powers) start to investigate what happened. Mouse continues her investigation, taking her through the underworld of the area. Now, she is leading a battle to solve what is going on before her friends are all taken.
Verdict on Door Mouse
Door Mouse is a mystery thriller following a comic-book creator and burlesque dancer that goes in search of answers. Her friends have started going missing and she wants to track down who was behind the disappearances. It takes her on a journey to an underground world she wasn’t prepared to enter.
This is a movie that has its own style thrown on it. One of the best examples of a neo-noir movie with its own stamp would be Brick, and this follows in those footsteps. It follows the outsider trying to keep everything together while making sure her friends are safe. The mystery keeps us wondering where things will go next and blends the comic book into the mystery unfolding.
Hayley Law is excellent in the leading role of the movie. While the supporting cast brings their characters to life to make us feel like we are in a colourful world. This unique style keeps everything feeling fresh and entertaining.
Door Mouse will be available on Digital Download from 10th July.
Final Thoughts – Door Mouse is a slick, stylish and unique spin on a neo-noir tale.
Plot: A series of events tests the beliefs of a small isolated countryside village.
Runtime: 1 Hour 48 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: The Village starts as we meet a small community living in an area surrounded by woodlands. Alice Hunt (Weaver) and Edward Walker (Hurt) watch over the community, including pushing for strict rules to be followed. Nobody can go into the woods because of a deal done with the monsters in the woods.
However, when Lucius Hunt (Phoenix) is stabbed by Noah Percy (Brody) the community must decide whether to break the rules. This could help save his life, but it could also expose the community’s secret.
Verdict on The Village
The Village is a mystery drama following a small community living in a woodland area. They keep to themselves and have kept the peace with the monsters in the woods. However, an incident means that must decide whether to break the rules put in place to save one of their own.
This movie was the beginning of the divide between M. Night Shyamalan fans. While it builds up such an interesting concept it ends up giving us a twist nobody was prepared for and one that left a lot of people unhappy. I personally like the twist, however, this was an era where his name was always expecting to get twists.
The amazing cast is only the beginning of this movie. We have a host of Oscar winners and nominated stars, where even some of the smaller roles have gone on to bigger things. The world created is fantastic to see too and by the end, you can see the greater vision of the movie.
Final Thoughts – The Village is a wonderful mystery thriller, with a smart reveal.
Plot: Two unhappy strangers find themselves on a road trip across the U.S. to partake in a scientist’s radical experiment with the afterlife.
Runtime: 1 Hour 46 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Next Exit starts as Dr Stevensen (Gillan) has created a way to communicate with ghosts. This has created a dangerous change in society, having an increased suicide rate. Rose (Parker) and Teddy (Kohli) are two of the latest candidates for the experiment and must reluctantly travel together across the country together.
Starting with a cold journey, Rose not wanting to communicate with Teddy. However, Rose starts to come around on the journey, as they both express why they both want to end their lives as part of the experiment.
Verdict on Next Exit
Characters
Rose has been selling everything in her life to take part in an experiment. She has been depressed for years and this is the answer to her depression before she gets to become a ghost. Rose is very cold toward strangers, showing no patience with them. However, she is haunted by something that lurks in the shadows.
Teddy is a much more open person, despite his own battles with depression. He tries to build a friendship on the journey, before opening up about his failed attempts.
The two characters get to show the difficulties and differences people with depression can see on the outside. They create an understanding of how to address the problems they have been through in life.
In the supporting characters, we get to meet people from their lives and Dr Stevensen, the mastermind behind the process.
Performances
Katie Parker and Rahul Kohli are both brilliant in the leading roles. They create a natural new friendship on the journey, as they put up with things that make each other mad. The pair create the emotional journey that their characters go on through the movie.
Story
The story follows two strangers that have signed up for the same experiment and find themselves needing to travel together across the country. It sees the pair express their decision as to why they have agreed to take part in this end-of-life process. As the journey unfolds they find new meaning to their depression and are left with the decision to go through with it or not.
This story gets to explore a world where a scientist claims to be able to bring ghosts back to the living. Following two depressed people who have agreed to be part of the experiment as they discuss what led them to this decision. This creates a big talking point about depression and how it can be seen. A moral discussion going on in the background around whether it should be legal or not.
The movie uses the mystery of what might happen in the afterlife to drive us forward. With the opening sequence is a massive drawing point for the movie. There are creepy sequences in the movie, that make things have an uneasy effect and show the past haunting people.
Where to Watch: Blue Finch Film Releasing presents Next Exit on digital platforms on 20th February.
Final Thoughts –Next Exit is a mesmerising mystery with a massive discussion on the table.
Plot: A young woman is inducted into a bizarre family as their new surrogate daughter.
Runtime: 1 Hour 36 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Daughter starts when Father (Van Dien) brings a new Sister (Ngô) into his home. he requires her to be friends with his son and her Brother (Alexander), as they look to survive a mysterious illness.
As the new Sister gets used to her new surroundings. She starts to learn the rules she must obey. She starts adapting well but deep down she is always looking for an escape and learning what happened to the last Sister.
Verdict on Daughter
Daughter is a mystery drama following a young woman forced into becoming a sister in an estranged family. It sees a man claiming to be the father of the family ordering people in his family around for the greater good.
This is a strange movie, that leads to the audience needing to wait and see what the bigger picture is. It keeps things shimmering along, keeping our attention as we want to see what will happen. Despite this, we don’t get much happening, it is all about waiting. Certain scenes can come off longer than they should, lingering longer than they need to.
Casper Van Dien gives one of his calmer performances than we are used to, one that adds an extra level of disturbance in the movie. Vivien Ngô is excellent to watch too, as she becomes the character in the film learning like we are.
Where to Watch: Daughter will be available to own or rent in the UK & Ireland from 20th Feb via AppleTV, Amazon, Sky Store, Virgin Media and Google Play.
Final Thoughts –Daughter is a disturbing, unsettling mystery simmering with tension.
Plot: A group of workers on a remote Scottish oil rig are due to return to the mainland when a mysterious fog enshrouds them and supernatural forces take hold.
Runtime: 6 Episodes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: The Rig starts as we meet the crew on a remote Scottish oil rig. Magnus (Glen) runs his team like a family but the member of a team that has recently taken over the business Rose (Hampshire) overrides his orders. She has created unwanted tension on board.
When a mysterious fog appears and covers the rig, they lose communication with the mainland. This causes chaos among the crew who must learn to work together to understand what is going on. As the fog continues to create uncertainty, supernatural forces point toward something far more serious for the crew to deal with.
Verdict on The Rig
The Rig is a mystery horror thriller following the crew of an oil rig team that must deal with an unexpected supernatural event. This creates tension between the crew as they demand answers and a way to return home.
The Rig creates an amazing amount of tension and atmosphere. Each episode gives a different member of the crew a chance to be in the spotlight. Showing what they have outside of this world, instead of only focusing on the situation. The story leaves us a chance to see how much is going on, constantly twisting toward something new. If you were to compare this to another show, the best example would be ‘Helix’.
The all-star TV cast is wonderful throughout the film, from Game of Thrones alumni Iain Glen and Owen Teale. Add in the only American character Emily Hampshire that makes her character feel like an outsider in the world. The supporting cast is great too, Rochenda Sandall, Martin Compston, Molly Vevers and Calvin Demba develop their characters to a level we want to see more from.
Despite only having 6 episodes, we are given plenty to work through and we are left only wanting to see more. Hopefully, The Rig will return for season two.
Where to Watch: The Rig is available on Amazon Prime.
Final Thoughts – The Rig is an excellent atmospheric mystery that leaves you wanting more.
Plot: A world-weary detective is hired to investigate the murder of a West Point cadet. Stymied by the cadets’ code of silence, he enlists one of their own to help unravel the case – a young man the world would come to know as Edgar Allan Poe.
Runtime: 2 Hours 8 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: The Pale Blue Eye starts when a world-weary detective Augustus Landor (Bale) is summoned to West Point. He is requested to help investigate a cadet’s murder in a notoriously silent group of cadets. As Augustus dives into the investigation, he gets to meet the members of West Point.
Augustus teams up with a young cadet Edgar Allan Poe (Melling) to help him connect with the cadets. With the cadets being questioned, Augustus turns to the authority figures, including Dr Daniel Marquis (Jones), Superintendent Thayer (Spall) and Captain Hitchcock (McBurney). This leads to a much darker truth that Augustus wasn’t expecting.
Verdict on The Pale Blue Eye
Characters
Augustus Landor is a world-weary detective, a widow that lives with the pain of losing his family. He gets requested to help with an investigation at West Point after a violent murder. Augustus must use his skills to navigate the regimented world in search of answers. His past gives him a reputation for getting the job done but also pushing people the wrong way. He likes a drink and is ordered to stop for the case. Augustus seems to spend mst of the story on the outside looking in.
Cadet Edgar Allan Poe is an outsider and a man that Augustus turns to for inside information. He connects with him and uses his chance and intelligence to get information. However, he can’t be overlooked as a potential suspect because of his position within the camp.
Dr Daniel Marquis explains the injuries and uses his judgment to claim who could be behind the murder. He is exposed for not getting all the facts correct. Daniel is the one that must be trusted before the investigation, as he is the only one, they can trust about the injury information.
In the supporting cast, we get a host of potential suspects. Each member of West Point could bring more clues with the authority figures demanding it done quickly.
Performances
Christian Bale is great as we would come to expect from him, he makes his character feel like a true outsider in the military world. The supporting cast is great too, with Harry Melling continuing his post-Harry Potter rise. Toby Jones and Timothy Spall get to shine in supporting roles too.
Story
The story follows a detective who is requested to help at West Point after a graphically violent murder. He must get to know the cadets and authority during his investigation as he tries to understand such a graphic murder. This sees him trying to understand motivation despite clashing with most of the men on the base.
The Pale Blue Eyes looks to bring us a dark murder investigation. It does take a while to get going, even if the conclusion is more surprising than anything else. This dives into nearly every step you would imagine and ends up leaving us wanting more from the bigger case. It feels more forced to throw in the character Edgar Allan Poe, as a symbol for the time and a poet known for dealing with the unexplained.
Where to Watch: The Pale Blue Eye is available on Netflix.
Final Thoughts –The Pale Blue Eye is an interesting mystery but does lack the intensity of what is going on.
Plot: Follows a woman checking into a psychiatric ward to investigate a homicide.
Runtime: 2 Hours 34 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: God’s Crooked Lines starts as Alice Gould (Lennie) checks herself into a psychiatric hospital. Alice has gone undercover to investigate a murder in the ward. Her plan is to get close to the more stable patients and try to make a connection with the doctors.
As Alice’s investigation gets underway, she soon discovers that she is alone in it. The doctors believe her investigation is just part of her condition, leading to her own sanity becoming questioned.
Verdict onGod’s Crooked Lines
God’s Crooked Lines is a mystery thriller that follows a woman investigating a homicide in a psychiatric ward. It sees her going undercover to investigate, only for her own sanity to become questioned by the doctors in the hospital.
This movie does a great job of keeping us guessing. It uses Alice’s confidence to make us believe her story while spinning this completely when one of the doctors gives their own story. The fact the story can flip between the two potential outcomes is engrossing, making us want to learn more about the story. There is plenty of ‘Shutter Island’ atmosphere created here, as it genuinely feels like the story could go either way.
The leading performance by Barbara Lennie is great, showing the paranoia created by her character. We see both sides of her story, as she plays it out as if she could be on either side of the outcome. The supporting cast is also great, helping give us clues to the truth.
Where to Watch: God’s Crooked Lines is available on Netflix now.
Final Thoughts – God’s Crooked Lines is a mystery that constantly keeps you guessing.
Plot: Versions of Meriwether Lewis’s 1809 death at a remote wilderness inn are imagined by his friend Alexander Wilson during a tense encounter with the only witness to the famed explorer’s final night alive.
Runtime: 1 Hour 55 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Mysterious Circumstance: The Death of Meriwether Lewis starts as Meriwether Lewis (Williams) arrives at the wilderness inn. Here, we see the different accounts of the events of what happened that night, as his good friend Alexander Wilson (Slaughter) searches for answers about his death.
The basic story is replayed over, with different reactions and theories about what caused the death of Meriwether. Each one points the fingers at a different potential suspect.
Verdict onMysterious Circumstance: The Death of Meriwether Lewis
Mysterious Circumstance: The Death of Meriwether Lewis is a mystery that explores the potential outcomes of the death of Governor Meriwether Lewis. This story dives into different ideas, despite running through the events with different tones and reactions.
The idea makes things strange as we are just repeating the same story with a minor change each time. Nothing seems to be unlocking more of the truth, only exploring speculation. It doesn’t seem to work as well as it could, as nothing ends up moving the story forward, as there are no true answers to what happened.
The performances in the movie are strong with most having to play into a different angle for each section of the movie.
Final Thoughts – Mysterious Circumstance: The Death of Meriwether Lewis is an interesting idea, only it doesn’t feel as connected as possible.
