Director: Adam Wingard
Starring: Dan Stevens, Maika Monroe
Running Time: 100 minutes
Synopsis: Recently released from service, army veteran David Collins (Dan Stevens) arrives at the home of Laura Peterson, claiming to have been an army buddy of Laura's son Caleb, who died on active duty. Laura welcomes David and he soon meets her husband Leonard and their teenaged children Anna (Maika Monroe) and Luke. The seemingly affable David involves himself in the family's affairs: Leonard is promoted, Luke's bullies from school are taught a lesson, and David makes a good impression on Anna's friends. But he also carries a violent streak, and when Anna delves into his background, bad things starts to happen.
What Works Well: Director Adam Wingard creates an entertaining vibe combining stranger unease with character manipulation and sudden bursts of violence. Dan Stevens charismatically embodies the vague spaces between good and evil, unsettling an entire family with supportive deeds compromised by questionable methods. Maika Monroe as the scrappy Anna emerges as a capable adversary, parlaying suspicions into facts to counter David's subterfuge.
What Does Not Work As Well: The backstory is an unfortunate empty shell of conspiratorial governmental incompetence, undermining attempts to create meaningful context. Once the violence escalates and the body count rises, the narrative zing dramatically declines.
Key Quote:
David: I'm a soldier, man. I like guns.
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