It Almost Gets In - The Intruder
The question with a movie like this is always whether it knows what it is. Of course it’s not good-good. But is it self-aware enough to be good-bad? Can it lean into its fun elements in a way that takes advantage of the absurdity and leads to an entertaining final product? The answer in the case of The Intruder? Almost. Through a strange combination of interesting premise and peak-creepy Dennis Quaid, they almost pull it off.
Photo Courtesy of Sony Pictures Releasing
Classic setup. A Black couple, Scott and Annie Howard (played by Michael Ealy and Meagan Good), wants to get out of the city, so they start searching for houses in nearby Napa Valley. Annie falls in love with their dream home and despite certain ominous signs about the seller, Charlie (played by Dennis Quaid), they buy it. At first, all seems well. But when it becomes clear Charlie is not quite ready to give up his house, things take a dark turn.
Photo Courtesy of Sony Pictures Releasing
Throughout the movie, the Howards grow more and more suspicious about Charlie’s backstory and motives. It starts with quirks like Charlie cutting their grass when no one asked him to and stopping by unannounced. Eventually, it is too late and his obsession with not letting go of his house turns into much more. Can the Howards hold onto their house…and their lives?
The above premise is a playground in the right actor’s hands and Quaid came ready to play. His Charlie is as devious and creepy as advertised. He is the classic character the audience yells at the other characters for trusting. To the extent the film has a highlight beyond the vaguely interesting concept, Quaid is it.
Photo Courtesy of Sony Pictures Releasing
Where the film falters is that it is a little rough around the edges. There are sequences so poorly edited you might feel like you missed something. And storylines are picked up and discarded with reckless abandon. Characters’ actions don’t quite make sense and the film never does much with the racial lines it tiptoes around. Perhaps all of this is intentional, but there was real room to do more if they tried. None of the characters, other than Charlie, get more than a few cursory bullet points of backstory.
But what is most interesting is how close the film comes to horror in its third act. It is as intense as any full-fledged horror film you are likely to see this year. They turn the suspense up to 11 and then rip off the knob. If you are someone who might enjoy cartoonish level suspense and a razor thin plot, this might be for you. If you are looking for something more, it’s probably best to keep looking.
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