The Intruder Review
PG-13: Violence, terror, some sexuality, language and thematic elements
Screen Gems, Hidden Empire Film Group, Primary Wave Entertainment
1 Hr and 42 Minutes
Director: Deon Taylor | Screenwriter: David Loughery
Cast: Michael Ealy, Meagan Good, Joseph Sikora, Dennis Quaid
Release Date: May 3rd 2019
Goddamnit, Black Screen Gems, you did it again! Let me explain to you what Black Screen Gems is. To reiterate from my Proud Mary review:
“The studio is called Screen Gems which is a subsidiary of Sony, but whenever they release a film geared towards the African-American demographic, I call them Black Screen Gems. Only Black people go out to see them, and SONY ends up being very happy in the end despite what critics say. Ever since 2014’s No Good Deed, Black Screen Gems have only relied on their audience for money as opposed to critic reviews, because Black people will practically see anything as long as interchangeable Black actors they recognize star in (mostly thrillers) with a forgettable and generic title. They had Obsessed, The Perfect Guy, When the Bough Breaks... the list goes on.”
Now we have Black Screen Gems movie #214, The Intruder, which I was honestly enjoying up until a certain point.
When a young married couple (Michael Ealy and Meagan Good) buys their dream house in the Napa Valley, they think they have found the perfect home to take their next steps as a family. But when the strangely attached seller (Dennis Quaid) continues to infiltrate their lives, they begin to suspect that he has hidden motivations beyond a quick sale.
Michael Ealy and Meagan Good deliver decent performances as Scott and Annie to compensate for their terribly incompetent characters, but the person who made this movie is definitely this guy:
Not the rat costume, but the guy getting scared by the rat costume, Dennis Quaid.
Dennis Quaid is one of the only reasons I was enjoying this movie. Quaid exhibits an incredible amount of charm in his performance. Providing enough energy when he’s friendly and crazy, Dennis Quaid perfectly channels insanity and just engaged in everything he does. I’m not going to lie, at times I found myself siding with him because of how damn careless - if not assholish - Scott and his friends are.
If there’s anything that I thought the The Intruder was effective on, it was the level of discomfort you feel for the leads (Scott and Annie) throughout the film. As Charlie keeps making unannounced and unwelcomed visits, you’re just nervous and anticipating what crazy thing he’s about to do.
The conflict between the two is enticing enough and how Charlie utilizes them to his advantage is interesting. As the film goes on you see the errors in this couple’s relationship and the hardships they go through make for an engaging thriller.
Well… that’s it.
Right when I was enjoying it, thinking how interesting Scott and Annie’s relationship was and how good the performances were, it just HAD TO BLACK-SCREEN-GEMS ITSELF! Friggin’ Black Screen Gems is killing me. Every time I walk into these movies, I can feel the battle wounds of previous Black Screen Gems thrillers begin to irritate me. You already have the vault of recycled Black actors and the recycled premises. Hell, you got the same lazy screenwriter from Obsessed and Lakeview Terrace penning the script. So, if you’re aware of how terrible those movies are, then you know what to expect here.
In the very beginning of the movie, when Scott and Annie roll up to Charlie’s house with the intent to buy, they catch him shooting off a deer with a shotgun. They don’t gradually show how sketchy he truly is. They just dive headfirst into it. Never for a moment do the red flags wave for the couple. Pieces of the plot are immediately established, but never developed devoiding any true sense of intensity when the stalking happens.
The film is unintentionally funny as it attempts to implement tension on scenes where Charlie progresses to snap. In context with how some scenes are set up, they’re disrupted by odd “thriller” moments that are way too over-the-top. Charlie’s notions are so blatant from the very beginning, which leaves his character devoid of any mystery.
The true conflict that they set up with Charlie is, um...
It makes sense, but it’s yet another recycled element from every Black Screen Gems movie with the antagonist trying to get with one of the leads. You saw it in Obsessed with Ali Larter and you see it here with Dennis Quaid. The only differences are the age gap and the scenario. I mean, I wouldn’t blame anyone for tryna get with Meagan Good ooooor with Michael Ealy. They’re both beautiful.
It’s the same kind of shit you’ve seen before, but what makes this stupid are Scott and Annie. None of the characters are consistent with their actions so when it becomes apparent to Annie how much Charlie is becoming obsessed with her (more than the house), she enables him by inviting him inside without feeling uncomfortable in any way, shape, or form. He presents his creepiness in the forefront, but she sees no flaws in him whatsoever and is so gullible. Scott is very much a neurotic, smart, high-class dude who is corny and Annie is an enabling dumbass. Seriously, what the hell does David Loughery have against women? Because he doesn’t seem to know how to write one who isn’t a complete moron. It becomes fun when Charlie begins a pissing contest with Scott, but it’s undercut by Annie’s stupidity.
Let me deconstruct the turning point of the second act to express what I mean. So Scott, being frustrated by Charlie’s visits to his old house, finds him at a bar with Annie and tells Charlie to stay away from her and their house. Scott ends up in the hospital the morning after he tells Charlie off, for he gets run over by his car during a jog. The dude knows it was Charlie who put him there and still tells Anne to go home. So, that stupidity is on him, but then she gets dumber. When she’s home alone, Charlie stops by - once again unannounced for the umpteenth time - and SHE STILL FEEDS HIS DESIRES BY INVITING HIM IN!
I love watching all of these stupid thrillers and realizing that the easiest solution is to CALL THE POLICE. Get this: the only time the idea of “should we call the police?” comes up is when Annie is with Charlie.
It all leads up to this stupid ass climax lacking any brains, clear action, or effort. It goes from beyond stupid and dives into retardation (I only use that word as an expression of severe stupidity when it comes to movies and this is a prime example) where the antagonist has superhuman strength and is immune to glass and... whatever. I’m done.
Hey, if I’m watching the same recycled thriller that’s regurgitated to me every year, there comes a point where I have to say:
Besides the cast actually showing effort, The Intruder is so bland and stupid that it’s both enjoyable and frustratingly lazy, as every Black Screen Gems movie has always been.
Rating: 2/5 | 43%
