No Good Deed (2014) | Movie Review

Home invasion thrillers are almost a genre unto themselves at this point. Every year, we get at least a handful of these simple tales consisting of people trapped in a remote location, surrounded by rampaging psychopaths. Generally the idiot victims are running outside when they should be burrowing in, they forget to charge their phones AND they always happen to leave their car keys wherever said killers tend to search for cliches. This is not a fresh concept. In No Good Deed, Terri invites her intended murderer in through the front door and we walk through it with him into a very strong update of one tired plot.

Idris Elba stars as Colin Evans, an escaped sociopath whose stolen car breaks down close to Terri’s home. Her husband has left her and their two kids home alone for the night when Colin comes knocking at her door, asking for help. Elba plays the part of a charming narcissist perfectly, so we all can understand exactly why Terri (Taraji P. Henson) would invite this slick con man into her home in the middle of the night to wait for a tow truck that will obviously never arrive. Things begin friendly and decline rapidly while we await the truth for why Colin picked this house, on this night.

No Good Deed could easily devolve into a paint-by-numbers thriller were it not for the strength of its two leads. Idris Elba could charm the pants off a hobo by this point, and here he comes as no surprise. Elba excels at simmering charisma so well that for the first half of No Good Deed, even after personally witnessing him murder an innocent person, we still root for Colin to walk out of this unscathed. Surely he did not MEAN to throttle the life out of that character, right? Elba is the rare actor who can somehow make even the most sadistic act relatable, which serves this film and his performance greatly.

For all of the suave savagery oozing out of Elba’s pores, Taraji P. Henson is even more impressive. Henson’s Terri manages to avoid the fate almost female character in these types of films typically lunge toward: She never once conveys weakness. Every single decision Terri makes throughout the film seems plausible, sensible, and most of all – understandable.

When Henson and Elba showcase their obvious sexual chemistry, she keeps these moments planted firmly in reality. She has lost a spark with her husband and is legitimately taken in by Colin, as are we. As Terri puts the pieces together, there is no ignorance of obvious warning signs nor completely insane plot twists that force Terri to make one of those idiotic choices characters in these films generally make. As soon as she realizes something is amiss, she makes no excuses and immediately begins focusing on escaping the situation. Every decision Henson makes from here on out feels absolutely real, which is both a tribute to the writing and slow-burn directing, as much as it is to Henson’s performance. Terri is a woman and a mother, but she is nobody’s victim.

No Good Deed takes the typical tropes of home invasion thrillers, turns them on their head, and infuses some much needed personality into the mix. A smart script with a realistic twist by Aimee Lagos, taut direction from Sam Miller, and stellar performances from Elba and Henson make this one of the most entertaining thrillers of the year.

If $10 is the full price of admission, No Good Deed is worth $7

 

Starring Idris Elba, Taraji P. Henson
Directed by Sam Miller
Written by Aimee Lagos

 

Aaron Peterson
The Hollywood Outsider