No Through Road

Showed promise, but lost its way after the first twenty or so minutes as a photographer is holed up in his modest suburban home along with a mysterious female intruder when her alleged attackers appear outside demanding her release. The violence escalates much too quickly and without sufficient justification, whilst the obvious plot holes attempting to explain why they can't escape become more incredulous by the minute.

Little wonder the title needed to be 'No Through Road', to try and persuade the audience there was really no escape - despite occupied houses and people being visibly nearby throughout the entire ordeal.

The goons who show up to torment the duo aren't nearly intimidating enough to be convincing, looking more like drunken bogans than psychopaths capable of the sadistic crimes they would soon commit which go way over the top.

Amateurish acting and hard to hear dialogue only adds to the woes, as we learn our passive hero harbours a secret anxiety for conflict, yet he's armed to the teeth with samurai sword at the ready, when the thugs eventually decide they've had enough waiting and storm the house. The film then descends into a gory 'Home Alone' farce before labouring into an aimless torture chamber exhibition which defies logic.

There's technical elements which work well, but the plot needed more development to be convincing, and the overall result is disappointing.