It’s the end of the world! Earthquakes, volcanoes, planes falling out of the sky, cats and dogs living together. Mass Hysteria! And the only way it can be stopped is if one of three people sacrifices themselves for the greater good. Such is the premise of M. Night Shyamalan's latest film, 'Knock at the Cabin.'
What starts as a fun family vacation for Eric (Johnathan Croff), Andrew (Ben Aldridge) and their adopted daughter Wen (Kristen Cui) turns into a nightmare as four strangers turn up on the doorstep of their isolated cabin in the woods. Led by a hulking adonis of a man in white, Leonard (Dave Bautista), they lay claim to sharing visions of the World’s End. They hold the family captive and inform them that the only way to stop the pending apocalypse is if one of the family members is willingly sacrificed.
The questions come thick and fast. Is it a shared group delusion? Is it just a bunch of whack-job evangelical doomsayers targeting a gay couple and their kid? Or is it a sign of God's wrath, and is the world truly at stake? As the clock ticks down, a series of natural disasters begin to occur in the outside world, bringing it all further into question as to what is truly happening. Is it merely coincidence, or is it the end of all life as we know it?
‘Knock At The Cabin’ takes the old Hitchcock quote of placing the bomb underneath the table and letting the audience know it will inevitably go off and runs with it. It’s a simple, almost brilliant setup that delivers enough tension to keep the audience involved.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about the film is how it plays against type regarding its characters. Leonard and his crew of home invaders are far from the menacing types you’d expect from a typical home invasion thriller. In fact, they are the politest set of home invaders you’ll see on this side of ‘Funny Games.’ Their actions mostly seem driven by fear, leading the audience to question their motives.
Dave Bautista turns in a surprisingly vulnerable performance as the group leader. It’s astoundingly well-played and further proof of the ex-wrestlers talent for acting as he dials down the theatrics and delivers a rather subtle performance.
Shyamalan intercuts the tension with glimpses of Eric and Andrew’s relationship beforehand. We find out that Andrew is driven by angst at his perceived persecution by the world regarding his homosexuality. Therefore, he’s far more willing to disregard their talk as the ramblings of god-fearing lunatics with an agenda. Meanwhile, Eric remains agnostically uncertain, which furthers the tension at bay.
For the most part, the film does well to keep the tension high throughout. But it does admittedly lose some steam going into the third act as it maybe over willingly answers too many of its own questions. It eventually goes from questioning the motives to becoming more about the ethical dilemma at hand. Maybe the one flaw it has is that it doesn’t add up to much of anything, at least in terms of something more thought-provoking or daring.
The central concept is intriguing but runs a little out of steam the more it unravels. The performances are outstanding and Shyamalan keeps the tension taut throughout. Even Rupert Grint of Ron Weasley fame gets a memorable performance for what little screen time he has. For the most part, outside of its characters, it checks all the usual boxes that come with your standard home invasion thriller. But still, I can’t deny that it felt like there was something a little lacking.
Given Shyamalan’s hard-on for surprising audiences, it’s relatively light on surprise come the end. But on the other hand, 'Knock At The Cabin' is an undeniably well-crafted thriller that is engaging for the most part. That said, I kind of wish the ending had transcended into something more memorable and challenging, given the circumstances of its characters.
-Daniel M
