The Invisible Guest (Contratiempo)
Adrián Doria, a successful young entrepreneur, is accused of murdering his lover after waking up injured next to her lifeless body in a locked hotel room. Now, with the help of a top defense attorney, he has only three hours to uncover the truth about what really happened.
This 2016 Spanish mystery thriller captivates with its tightly woven narrative, keeping you hooked until the final twist. Sure, I’ll admit it can feel a bit contrived at times, but it does it so well that it doesn’t detract from the overall experience for me.
The film is suspenseful, playing mind games with its different points of view—sometimes successfully, other times not so much. It has a solid pace, plenty of twists, and it navigates the dangerous game of deception in a way I found clever. The twisty, well-crafted finale (brilliantly foreshadowed from the beginning but impossible to piece together) ties the film together beautifully.
The direction is somewhat stylized, which can be a little off-putting. And while at its core, you might call it an average movie, it’s so well-executed, with strong performances, that you won’t want it to end.
The Bone Collector
A paralyzed detective teams up with a young policewoman to track down a serial killer who stages each of his murders as part of a larger puzzle to solve.
This 1999 crime thriller delivers plenty of suspense, with strong performances from Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie, and an engaging story. It won’t change your life, but it’s definitely a worthy addition to your watchlist.
The plot is simple (at times feeling like it borrows themes from The Silence of the Lambs and Se7en), without any major surprises. However, the thriller element is well-executed, keeping you hooked throughout. It’s a decent movie, and thankfully, it avoids major plot holes.
On the downside, the lack of chemistry between the two leads is noticeable, and the film doesn’t dare to push boundaries to cement itself as a classic. For me, the final act fell short of expectations, considering what it had been building up to.
Still, it’s an enjoyable watch, just not one of the greats.