Looking for a movie in the horror genre, I found The Rental, first I noticed that one of the actresses was Allison Brie, but I was surprised when I read that the director is Dave Franco.
Charlie plans to spend a weekend in a beautiful house with an ocean view, accompanied by his wife Michell. His brother Josh, the black sheep of the family, and his girlfriend Mina, who is Charlie's business partner, will also be there. The manager of the house seems to be an old racist and grumpy, after a first somewhat unpleasant encounter, the two couples prepare to have a good time that weekend, without imagining that something is lurking. The conflicts between the couples will be interrupted and at the same time used, in the macabre plan of a mysterious killer who waits for the right moment to kill them all.
When I saw that it was Dave Franco's directorial debut, I immediately decided to watch it. He is the younger brother of Hollywood star James Franco, who is also an actor, and we have seen him in several productions. The actor/director, in 2011, starred in the movie Fright Night, a remake of the successful film, with the same title, from the 1980s.
Franco also co-wrote the script with Joe Swanberg. I think Franco has been influenced by the horror films of the 1980s, because the last part of his debut as a film director seems to have come straight out of that period. I say this in a positive way, the film as a whole has left me satisfied.
It's a simple work, with good execution. It's a typical slasher, where a group of people, in this case two couples, must run for their lives, while a masked killer plans to eliminate them one by one.
To fill in more gaps and develop the characters, they have added love conflicts between the two couples. Sometimes it may seem like a family drama, but the danger of someone watching them remains, to remind us that this is a horror and thriller film.
The only thing I'm going to criticize in a negative way, is that I was a little disappointed by the deaths. I wanted to see more explicit deaths, blood, gore. Even though the murders had a good '80s atmosphere, I was left wanting to see more graphic violence. It seems like Franco wanted to make a horror movie for the whole family.
I don't think they'll make a sequel to this film, but it leaves the basis for further exploitation of this new killer who joins the long list of film psychos. A murderer whose real face we never see.
The main characters are played by actors Dan Stevens, known for his participation in the series Downton Abbey. Jeremy Allen White, the busiest actor on TV, famous for his participation in the series Shameless. Toby Huss, an excellent actor, who I have seen in TV series, among his works, my favorites are Carnivale and the series Halt and Catch Fire.
The two actresses in the cast are the beautiful Alison Brie, who I first saw in Mad Men and I am fascinated by her character in the comedy series Glow. You have to remember that she is currently the wife of Dave Franco, the director of this film. Finally, the actress Sheila Vand takes on the role with the most images on screen. For me, she was the one who played the best part in the story.
Each of the characters has a moment to stand out, achieving a good understanding as a team. They are not the typical dumb characters of horror films, although they make some wrong choices, they are convincing characters, something that is appreciated.
Among the situations that are somewhat silly for me is that the characters in the films of this genre always end up having fun is using drugs. That society is really so stupid to find fun with drugs, without that, Americans seem unable to have a good time. I've never used illegal drugs, so I can't understand this kind of behavior, which we see in movies, but it must be based on some reality.
It's not an innovative proposal, we've seen these killers in countless films of the genre, but Franco makes a remarkable debut as a director, it's worth seeing and following Dave Franco's career behind the camera. I think that if he continues on this path he can do better than as an actor, hopefully he has some project underway, I want to see more of his facet as a director.
My Ranking: 3.1/5
Trailer
