The Guest

mark13 · 05-09-2014 5:18am #1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0E2Qh6wLS4

Saw a preview of this yesterday, knowing very little about it.. surprisingly it's an absolute cracker of a film, enjoyed every second of it.

It's currently 91% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, it's out today, go see it, you won't regret it.

(the trailer gives a bit too much away and doesn't really do it justice, so avoid watching it if you can)

05-09-2014 11:11am

I could have swore that I started a thread about this well over a year if not two ago. Been looking forward to it since I first heard of it as Simon Barrett and Adam Wingard are two of the most interesting voices in genre cinema atm and after the superb A Horrible Way to Die and You're Next they really are on their way to the top.

cloud493 · 05-09-2014 3:25pm

Also thought it was brilliant, the lead actor is absolutely outstanding, and the rest do a good job as well, its surprisingly black comedy ish all the way through, not much action but what there is is outstanding, very much recommended.

Looper007 · 05-09-2014 3:54pm

cloud493 wrote: »

Also thought it was brilliant, the lead actor is absolutely outstanding, and the rest do a good job as well, its surprisingly black comedy ish all the way through, not much action but what there is is outstanding, very much recommended.

Awesome I'm going to see this tomorrow, great to read it's actually been getting some rave reviews and it's good to see you enjoyed it. It has the feel of Drive mixed with A History of Violence.

Nailz · 06-09-2014 2:27am

Went to see it today and we thought it was absolutely outstanding; as thrillers go, this was close to American Psycho although with relatively different themes. Dan Stevens who played lead was brilliant, the direction of the film was well done (very David Lynch-esque I thought) and the soundtrack was fantastic. I couldn't recommend this film more.

On the point of the soundtrack; I have been browsing the web for a while now looking for the track list but to no avail, I would absolutely love to hear it, so if anyone knows where to find it or can link me to it that would be very much appreciated!

EoinMcLovin · 06-09-2014 10:09am

Saw it yesterday and thought it was brilliant. Oh and here is the soundtrack listing
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Guest-Original-Motion-Picture-Soundtrack/dp/B00NC387W0/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1409969578&sr=8-7&keywords=the+guest+soundtrack

Looper007 · 06-09-2014 9:06pm

Simply outstanding movie, It reminded me of Halloween mixed with the Terminator with a cool 80's sounding soundtrack. Also the thing that mostly stood out is how darkly funny it was

Collins killing of the parents and Anna's friend's (also killing the diner full of people) before he does with "I'm very sorry about this" and the principal scene and bar scene

it should have been shocking but I couldn't help but laugh.

Dan Stevens (is this the same guy from Downtown Abbey) gives a career making performance as David Collins, I can't see him ever topping this. He's funny and charming but can switch to

cold blooded Terminator style killing machine in the 3rd act who can't be killed

. It's a Iconic performance, am I the only one that was cheering on Collins in the end.

Brendan Meyer as Luke was fantastic, the scenes between him and Stevens were some of the standouts. Maika Monroe as Anna was also very good. This is a Cult hit in the making, it was one of the scariest films I've seen like Terminator was the scene in the student prom setting was pretty nail biting and the ending

Collins is still alive

is a nod obviously towards Halloween. It's not a film you can take serious and it's completely bonkers but it's an amazing film, this would have fitted well in John Carpenter peak era. The soundtrack is bloody amazing too.

cloud493 · 06-09-2014 9:09pm

Your man is indeed from Downton Abbey. Very good accent.

JP Liz V1 · 06-09-2014 9:36pm

cloud493 wrote: »

Your man is indeed from Downton Abbey. Very good accent.

He reminds me of Ryan Gosling in this

Looper007 · 06-09-2014 9:45pm

JP Liz V1 wrote: »

He reminds me of Ryan Gosling in this

He does, he hit the gym big time and lost a little weight and accent is top notch, the film has a Drive vibe to it with the Soundtrack plus the posters are leaning toward it (Cold In July did the same). As much as I loved Gosling in Drive, Stevens is on another level here. In one fell swoop he wiped Downtown Abbey from my mind, he's now David Collins.

cloud493 · 06-09-2014 9:50pm

'If some kids in your school push you around, you take a knife into school. If they take that knife off you, you find out where they live and burn their houses down at night'

tunguska · 06-09-2014 10:46pm

Went to see it tonight, for most of this I was thinking, this is an absolute cracker. It was like john carpenter had suddenly rediscovered his mojo. Magnificent synth score, great photography, really atmospheric. But then it just seemed to get completely ridiculous in the last 20 minutes aand I was sitting there bored.
Such a shame. But look overall it gets away with it just wish they hadn't dropped the ball at the one yard line.
8/10

siblers · 07-09-2014 2:44pm

You guys should watch You're Next. It's from the same director, i've not seen The Guest but I would imagine that ye would enjoy it.

Looper007 · 07-09-2014 10:44pm

tunguska wrote: »

Went to see it tonight, for most of this I was thinking, this is an absolute cracker. It was like john carpenter had suddenly rediscovered his mojo. Magnificent synth score, great photography, really atmospheric. But then it just seemed to get completely ridiculous in the last 20 minutes aand I was sitting there bored.
Such a shame. But look overall it gets away with it just wish they hadn't dropped the ball at the one yard line.
8/10

I got to disagree with you a 100% on that Tunguska, the last third act was some of the most joyous and OTT fun I had in the cinema since Raid 2 last third. Yeah it's so ridiculous when

Collins turns into a unstoppable killing machine, killing off parents, blown up a diner, killing a load of special train soilders and then ends up living in the end when he was stabbed in the neck and chest

but it's obvious the Director and Writer were going for that, they are taking the piss out of it.

tunguska · 08-09-2014 1:34am

Looper007 wrote: »

I got to disagree with you a 100% on that Tunguska, the last third act was some of the most joyous and OTT fun I had in the cinema since Raid 2 last third. Yeah it's so ridiculous when
Collins turns into a unstoppable killing machine, killing off parents, blown up a diner, killing a load of special train soilders and then ends up living in the end when he was stabbed in the neck and chest
but it's obvious the Director and Writer were going for that, they are taking the piss out of it.

I know what you're saying, that it was kind of a knowing homage to action movies of the 80s were there was always carnage and a high body count. I just think it became boring when all the shooting started. For me i think they should've gone down the Shane route with the finale, that would've been a more meaningful and satisfying end.

Mickeroo · 08-09-2014 10:39am

I hadn't even heard of this film before seeing this thread a couple of days ago, when I saw it was by the same people who made You're Next I decided to give it a look.

Film of the year for me so far. It manages to be both tense and hilarious, plus there's some solid action scenes thrown in. I loved the constant curve-balls it keeps throwing the audience.

I was firmly on David's side up until he stabbed the mother, even after the bit in the quarry. He was clearly the villain from then on but yet I still felt a bit conflicted! It was like the filmakers were going, "Why are you even surprised? We've shown this guy is violent psychopath from the start and you still like him? Weirdos!!"

The toying with audience expectations just made the whole thing feel very fresh even while it was wearing its influences firmly on its sleeve.

Due to the soundtrack, the way the main actor looks and the story line

for the first hour

comparisons with Drive will probably be inevitable but they're very very different films though.

Highly recommended and if you like this and haven't seen You're Next then make sure you do. It's available on Netflix at the moment.

adamski8 · 08-09-2014 12:40pm

The trailer i saw made it look terrible. Said no way id go see it. Very surprised to see the reviews here and might go along now.

cloud493 · 08-09-2014 1:26pm

Right up there with guardians, edge of tomorrow, and jump street as best movies of the year.

e_e · 08-09-2014 6:11pm

I'm not getting the hype for this at all. Not particularly thrilling, very predictable and it did not deliver on an early promise with nearly everything being spoiled in the trailer. The film has great sound design and an interesting lead performance but doesn't really do much else. Thought You're Next was far superior as well.

In fairness it's something I'd be happy to watch on Netflix of an evening but as a cinema experience it really wasn't anything special.

FortuneChip · 08-09-2014 10:20pm

First time I've come across this Dan Stevens fellow; very much doubt it will be the last. What a great character.

It was riddled with cliches, from start to finish, but the movie just really seemed to know what it was doing with all of them. The screening I was at was in fits of laughter for so much of it.

Really enjoyable flick, love how it steadily built up and up into the chaotic ending.

And the soundtrack was perfectly pitched. The combo of music cues and facial reactions was quality.

Yup, fully enjoyed that!

johnny_ultimate · 09-09-2014 12:40am

I'm with e_e on this one - after being impressed by You're Next I was very much looking forward to this, but there were only rare moments where it rose above enjoyable fluff.

We've seen this film dozens of times before, and the curve balls and shark jumping twists here were more window dressing and cheap sleights of hand than radical evolutions of formula - both the journey and the destination were, with some minor exceptions along the way, the same as always. I couldn't help but be reminded in many respects of Killer Joe, which did go to the dizzyingly sleazy and ludicrous heights this appeared to be aiming for. There's something surprisingly tame about The Guest, given it is proudly pulpy in so many respects. This is especially true after the giddy slapstick viscera of Wingard's last film, and none of the action here packs the same sort of punch. The climax has a handful of slick shots, but mostly plays out like a retread of any number of similar thrillers, with an added house of mirror sequence that only made me wish I was watching the The Lady from Shanghai ending instead.

I enjoyed the build up quite a bit - the unease and tension beautifully articulated by Dan Stevens' creepy performance. But once the revelations started flowing it lost me to cheap, underwhelming genre thrills, rote characterisation and several incidences of clunky exposition and dialogue. It worked best in a slower gear, and IMO struggled severely when transitioning to higher ones - I admire Wingard's tenacity for going all out, but yeah I couldn't get on board with the escalating levels of silliness. On a personal level, I'm a wee bit bored at this stage with the whole faux-80s vibe and soundtracking, especially hot on the heels of Cold in July and its ilk. That, to be fair, is a concern outside Wingard's control, but I'm still not convinced its a cinematic era worthy of such affectionate homaging (although at this point the actual styles of the 1980s have been superseded by distorted pastiches of the same).

It is, despite my grumbling, a decent night's entertainment, with a very strong lead performance and a handful of particularly well-handled sequences (the principal's office scene was very funny). It's definitely never less than watchable. The Guest also has Lance Reddick in a badass trenchcoat, which is great

One utterly pedantic criticism that irked me to an irrational degree - the needless inclusion of the second Reddick scene, where he was getting into the car. It seemed to be completely redundant in terms of the information it told us, and was haphazardly edited in at a pretty arbitrary moment in the narrative (and upsetting the film's internal chronology in the process).

adamski8 · 09-09-2014 7:25am

Thanks guys, i think we finally got some proper reviews of it there, i think ill skip it afterall

e_e · 09-09-2014 10:13am

I wouldn't turn anyone away from seeing it but I think everything that is teased is just window dressing for what is essentially just a very ordinary thriller at the end of the day. Again that's fine but my disappointment with it comes from feeling a promise in the opening hour that was never delivered upon.

I honestly thought that after the fake-out at the end death we'd be getting another 20 minutes of playful action.

That entire final act felt like too little too late to me and the ending doesn't even take full advantage of what is a really cool location. Compare this to You're Next which is a film that near constantly subverts expectations in a really funny and clever way. A film that keeps building whereas this spends an hour spinning its wheels and then for all that just indulges in some merely acceptable action.

johnny_ultimate · 09-09-2014 1:16pm

Yeah I'd stop short of advising anyone against going to see it - you could easily do far worse, and there have been enough positive responses here to indicate that it worked for many people. I just found the whole thing fairly underwhelming, and I thought You're Next did a much better job at offering playful genre thrills than this did.

I agree on the finale - I got really excited when

they entered the Halloween maze

because it was so visually vibrant compared to a lot of what came before. I was thinking 'OK, so it's all been leading to this!'. But they seemed to simply move on without exploiting either the dramatic or aesthetic potential of the setting. Although I did get a laugh

out of Reddick's disgusted response when the teacher yelled out the convoluted exit instructions

Looper007 · 09-09-2014 9:46pm

Johnmy and e_e, I was waiting for them to say it was underwhelming. No way was I expecting glowing reviews from them two

wowy · 10-09-2014 12:31am

Didn't know anything about this going in, and thought this was a great film. Yes, there are clichés, and yes, other films might do twists etc better, but it's still an entertaining, and kinda fun, thriller. I was kept fully engaged throughout (even with the 3rd act which I accept was out-of-pace with the rest of the film, but I didn't think it was jarringly so).

Would definitely recommend, and will definitely be looking up You're Next based on this film and recommendations above.

e_e · 10-09-2014 2:08am

Looper007 wrote: »

Johnmy and e_e, I was waiting for them to say it was underwhelming. No way was I expecting glowing reviews from them two

Hey nothing more boring than a load of people just blindly agreeing with each other in a thread. That's a real conversation killer and I'd be plain dishonest if I told you that the film completely worked for me. I can't hold back my disappointment when I go to see a movie expecting a fun time but am completely distanced from it for 80% of the run time. It's very odd to me how much this film feels like a hastily written first act to something that would really go all out later, hence the cut to credits when things only started to feel like they were reaching the potential promised earlier. Very frustrating.

nix · 11-09-2014 12:41pm

I thought You're next was an utter bag of shite

Hammy acting, woeful script

"Where dad?"
"He's upstairs lying down"
"Oh ok"

WTF, your house is being invaded and your wife and kids are getting murdered and its believable your old man decided to take a lie down in all this mayhem

This on the other hand was great, great acting, great set pieces, great script, great on screen presence from David..I feel this would have been alot better if the trailer didnt give alot of it away

One of the top films of the year for me..

charlie_says · 11-09-2014 1:06pm

:pac: I'll have to see both of them now.

Boards.ie for the win!

InReality · 14-09-2014 7:45pm

I thought some of the soundtrack was a bit like

the first deus ex game.

Anyone else think that ?. I would recommend it , the main actor was very good and unpredictable. I also loved

the ending

constitutionus · 14-09-2014 9:25pm

adamski8 wrote: »

The trailer i saw made it look terrible. Said no way id go see it. Very surprised to see the reviews here and might go along now.

me too.

that trailer didnt enthuse at all. i got NO idea that its as funny as some of the lads here a pointing out.

was well prepared to give it a miss but seeing as theres fuk all else out that interests me (last week was the first time i didnt go to the cinema this year) i think ill give it a shot.

hell i enjoyed "into the storm" and that looked complete pants, so it wouldnt be the first to surprise me.

Decuc500 · 15-09-2014 9:50am

adamski8 wrote: »

Thanks guys, i think we finally got some proper reviews of it there, i think ill skip it afterall

Ah come on! Go see it and make up your own mind!

This film was a lot of fun. It's nice to see a film made by someone who is obviously a fan of genre cinema. It was a homage to the films the writer and director were inspired by when they were younger. Quite a geeky film in that respect.

I tend not to analyse films to death. What works, what doesn't work...The Guest just put a smile on my face and reminded me of countless slasher and action films I saw growing up.

Hugely enjoyable.

Victor · 15-09-2014 9:53am

Bizarre score, especially the dun-dun-dun music.

pixelburp · 15-09-2014 9:58am

The second movie in about two months I've seen that pilfered the styling and tone of early John Carpenter - Cold in July being the previous case - and funnily enough both films contained a third act where the script took a running jump off the cliff. Yet while Cold in July at least plowed a tangent into a less interesting mob story, it kept itself pretty grounded throughout (ish): in the case of The Guest, it figured what it really wanted to be all along was some

mediocre lovechild of the Bourne films crossed with Halloween

. The results were less than impressive, in fact the moment Lance Reddick appeared on screen to perform duties as Captain Infodump (a presence, I might add, who is not around enough, the man has an actors face and can really command a screen) I threw my eyes up, for-f*cks-saked and realised the film I was vaguely interested in just disappeared up its own script.

It's disappointing because I broadly enjoyed the first two thirds of the film, even if as a pastiche it didn't actually achieve anything - except of course make me want to watch the much superior films it was riffing off. It's all well and good nodding towards the days of early 80s horror, back before John Carpenter decided to stop trying, but unless you're bringing a new idea or interesting slant to the table, it all just comes off as a hollow knock-off, an exercise in wallowing. It was clear within the first seconds as the musical sting accompanied the blatantly Carpenter-esque credits, this would be a nostalgia trip and you know that's fine, there's nothing inherently wrong with that, but the end result was more than a little disappointing.

It wasn't even particularly nice to look at: it seemed like a missed opportunity that a filmed clearly aping Carpenter didn't try to copy the contributions Dean Cundey made to Carpenters films, with those striking compositions and haunting vistas he brought to films such as The Fog. Instead it all felt very safe and uninteresting.

Credit where credit's due though: Toby Stevens' performance was beautifully balanced; genuinely menacing when it needed to be, his best moments those little asides when no other character was watching him and his face just darkens. Amazing what a little extra furrowing or a dead expression can achieve. That chilled the blood. But then the third act kicked in and he just decided to turn things up to 11.

The score was also enjoyable (there was at least one track from Hotline Miami which seemed an apt touch)

adamski8 · 15-09-2014 10:27am

Decuc500 wrote: »

Ah come on! Go see it and make up your own mind!.

You could say that about any film. Reviews really help me decide which films to see. I only see about 5 a year so i like to see some of the best ones

ancapailldorcha · 15-09-2014 5:21pm

My local cinemas have dropped this which is irritating.

cloud493 · 15-09-2014 5:32pm

Doesn't seem to be getting very many showings. I've seen it twice which is fine till the blu ray comes out so.

TerrorFirmer · 19-09-2014 12:05am

Just back from it now, and it seriously took me by surprise. I knew very little about it going in, and I was almost tempted to give it a miss because I thought the movie would likely be as generic as its title.

Totally wrong. Absolutely amazing movie, loved it from start to finish. Great performances, killer soundtrack, fantastic nods and full of tongue in cheek moments.

Drive meets Universal Soldier meets The Terminator meets.....?

Who knows. Solid entertainment though from start to finish.

Arghus · 20-09-2014 2:20am

After a long fallow period in which a dearth of worthwhile movies to see at my local cinema nearly forced me in desperation to hand over money for Sin City 2, The Guest arrived like a bolt from the blue. Ready to remind me that good things do sometimes come to those who wait.

It steals liberally and unashamedly from a wide variety of previous sources- John Carpenter, The Terminator, Drive. It doesn't seem to want to make a serious point or have anything major to say artistically but it's a smart mix of pastiche and subverting the standard formula. I have to admit that this was the best fun I've had at the movies in a long, long time.

We have here a glorious mix of tension, violence and utter ludicrousness. And not to forget the laughs. This film is hilarious. I think it was a damn satisfying meal of thrash. I enjoyed every bite.

To be fair, I can see how the story's turn into the realm of the fantastic could lose people, coming as it does at the end of a sustained build up of tension in the first third of the movie, but for me it felt almost reassuring, an acknowledgement that all bets were off from there on in and that we could and probably would see anything and everything before the film played out. A shootout in a Halloween maze, complete with dry ice and pulsating synths? I feel sorry for those that can't take enjoyment in such things. Sign me up now.

It won't appeal to everyone. It is damn weird after all. But if you like your violence black and your laughs blacker you won't do far wrong here.

Dublin3344 · 22-09-2014 1:08pm

...what a total mess!...a reasonable opening that descends into farce...the initial plot opens up well enough with tension building slowly...and then...a call to the military sparks off a sequence of poorly thought out, badly scripted and badly delivered scenes..a call to arms produces two lease hire jeeps, several pointless merc types, a dreadful shoot out as the entire movie heads south for the toilet..the attempt to reconnect with 80's style flciks falls flat on its face along with an ending that is so dull, laboured and predictable...you get the picture..yawn...

Crucifix · 23-09-2014 3:49pm

Loved it. The tone definitely shifts around, I can definitely see how that could put people off, but I was along for the ride. It struck me that the main guy is like

Captain America gone wrong. Blonde haired, blue eyed, super solider. Very all-american accent, polite and wholesome (on the surface). Except he's a ruthless psycho. Stick an eyepatch on Lance Reddick with his black trenchcoat and he'd be Nick Fury.

Great soundtrack, lots of laughs. Excellent performance from Dan Stevens, which the whole movie hangs on really.

Sad Professor · 30-09-2014 5:40pm

I’d put this on equal par with You’re Next. Both had interesting premises that the director failed to explore or execute to their fullest, making them enjoyable single-sitting experiences but utterly forgettable in the long run. I was expecting a bigger twist than what we got, which seemed fairly predictable. I enjoyed the genre-mashing of the last act, especially the black comedy of the final scene, but wish the whole film had kept a similar tone.

spiritcrusher · 01-10-2014 12:31am

Went to see this with a friend knowing almost nothing about it and absolutely loved it. At the beginning I was watching it thinking the characters are complete stereotypes, the plot seems like a cast-off from Hitchcock and the acting is grand but nothing particularly astounding... Yet, I was really enjoying it. Once it became clear the film isn't exactly completely serious I felt that's when it really started to take off and I found some of it exceptionally funny. Extremely confidently directed too, which it had to be when dealing with such well worn characters and plot devices.
I get the comparison with Killer Joe but I never got the feeling the writers wanted to go that far in the end but rather keep it fairly playful throughout.
Had a slightly awkward exchange with my friend at the end, who didn't really pick up on the tone of the film. Just as I was about to praise it she let's rip: "Well, that was just awful." "Awful??" "It was like it meant to be a joke or something." "Eh, yeah. It was." "Oh..."

Deisler · 16-11-2014 12:51am

Just watched this tonight. Enjoyed it. Got a real 80's John Carpenter vibe. Excellent soundtrack too.

Duggy747 · 16-11-2014 3:12am

Was disappointed with it, it was far too hyped in my head for what was a solid and enjoyable but ultimately forgettable genre mash-up film.

Dan Stevens did a fine job on carrying the film though, you spend most of the film analyzing his facial expressions knowing there's something more beneath that smile.

MagicMarker · 18-11-2014 2:58pm

Got around to watching this at the weekend, was expecting good things after reading this thread.

If I was younger (<23) and had gone to cinema to see it with friends, then it would likely be my new favourite movie. As it's so ridiculously hilariously OTT.

However, I'm >30, and watched it on my own. So... what a fúcking mess of a movie.

s8n · 18-11-2014 4:01pm

MagicMarker wrote: »

Got around to watching this at the weekend, was expecting good things after reading this thread.

If I was younger (<23) and had gone to cinema to see it with friends, then it would likely be my new favourite movie. As it's so ridiculously hilariously OTT.

However, I'm >30, and watched it on my own. So... what a fúcking mess of a movie.

I have to agree. Lots of promise (loved the bar room scene) but ultimately a mess

brianregan09 · 29-11-2014 2:28pm

I'm also 30 and loved it , Its real fun , and the lead was superb in it i agree what someone else said on here he's like an evil captain america for lack of a better word , and like others i was on his side up to about 3/4s of the way through the movie

Sam Mac · 02-12-2014 5:14am

Liked it but didn't love it. Dan Stevens did a good job and he has a certain wicked charm about him that draws you into his character.

I preferred You're Next though.

DoYouEvenLift · 02-12-2014 4:15pm

Only above average part of this movie was the soundtrack.

cloud493 · 26-12-2014 8:28pm

Did anyone see the blu ray for this on sale today? It was supposed to come out today, and HMV/Xtravision have it for sale on their site, but nothing in tesco/hmv henry street.

The Guest

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