Review of Knock Knock (2015) by Pipec — 13 Jun 2016

Eli Roth's "Knock Knock" Is A Psychological Thriller With Common Appearance, But With A Disturbing Potential.

Intervening moral issues of fidelity and sexual drives (usually, present in married men), Roth, Nicolás López and Guillermo Amoedo conceive a story with references - or possibly based - on "Death Game" film of 1997 with almost the same plot. With better performances, uses of technology, a story with appropriate plot twists and a better directing, this new version shows the multifaceted that could be the director, without the presence gore that characterizes him, OK, at least without so much blood.

With a predictably moderate result at the box office, "Knock Knock" is a fresh and lush proposal to the commercial films and while it is not the masterpiece of the season, it is one of the independent films more entertaining of the year. Roth arrives with strength to the suspense genre, with one idea we've already seen, but with a view more modern and modified about itself, perhaps is a remake or maybe not.

Keanu Reeves plays Evan, a happily married architect, father of two children, with fortune, love, DJ hobbies, a beautiful house, in summary an idealized life, what else can he ask for?. Then, his two children and his wife take a nice vacation to the beach - on the occasion of father's day, a big irony-, Evan and Monkey left alone at home working on his project. On a rainy and simply sinister night, two beautiful and stunning girls innocently knock on the Evan's door, under the pretext of help, since they have lost on the way to a party. This merciful man - though, after I watch this movie so many times, in the third time, I can see the desire of Evan, it is logical, he is a man - allows them to enter for one call or maximum one coffee cup. Bel (Ana de Armas) and Genesis (Lorenza Izzo, the wife and constant contributor to Roth) are male sexual fantasy. After asking a taxi and have a talk about faithfulness and sex, things become dangerous and Evan's love for his family is thrown into the toilet.

Evan has sexual relations with the two girls - something relatively impossible considering the age of Evan, but relatively possible considering that morning his wife not wanted help him, affirming that he took more than three months without having sexual relations -, naive and innocent of the hell that was to come. Once the guys begin to show their bad behavior, Evan feels in trouble and goes in a direction that will not help him. Things come up to the limit of gag to Evan, unintentionally killing a person and destroy all the house. The previous is made to give a lesson to all husband who believe to be faithful, but that "fidelity" word is what less used inside their mind.

Idea is completely brand-new, however, its end leaves the audience unsatisfied, thrilled and even disappointed. It feels like a failed experiment, feels like a work that had a stupid ending, it is illogical to which after a great development finishes with a finish so poor and cheap in order to show a consequence.

Moral themes is most used in dramatic and thriller films, but the issues touched in this film are substantially used them and share a better connection with the audience due to everyday life and reminiscence of them in life any common man. It is not a feminist film, it is not a male chauvinist film, Roth manages to get that balance of genre in order to do not be wrong about taking his project where it should not go.

Ana de Armas and Lorena Izzo are fabulous in their roles, however, momentarily, they get rid of the psychology and strange behavior that had. The classification R, they gave to the film is opportune, since, in addition to having strong sexual scenes, profanity and violence, these girls transmit horror, a genre that apparently are not visible, but after seeing the work these two women, the horror reincarnated in the beauty. Reeves also makes a great role here, different than what he has done so far, revealing its full potential with his monologue "free pizza".

Technological contributions make much with little, recorded in one house with fascinating interior design, Roth knows how to slide his camera through the corridors and walls full of art and paintings, giving a modern twist to a house of a familiar aura.

Last Roth's film- and hopefully it is not the last, really - plays very well exposed moral issues, with photography and cinematography very well executed, but narratively falls short and not in its development, in its empty and simple end.