The notion that no one makes films like they used to is completely wrong. Sam Raimi – he’s still making film like they used to. And after not touching the horror/thriller genre since 2009 his passion is still so clearly there.
- Director – Sam Raimi
- Runtime – 115 minutes
- Certificate – 15
- Country – United States
By no means is this a perfect film but it is an extremely entertaining one. From the very first second to the last, I was never not hooked. Rachel McAdams as Linda Liddle is an absolute force of nature in this, delivering one of my favourite performances from her. How she goes from being completely crazed to all innocent and sweet in seconds is incredible. Dylan O’Brien’s Bradley Preston perfectly compliments her in what might be his best – his facial expressions are something to behold.
I really cannot decide which one of their performances I prefer because they are just that good.
They also manage to bring Damian Shannon and Mark Swift’s script to life that only they could. They capture the insanity of being stranded on an island perfectly. It is also insanely hilarious. I was surprised on just how funny it was – I must have been laughing at every other scene and to be honest a majority of that comes from O’Brien. His annoying laugh that he does to mock McAdams is perfect in not only a comedic way, but also on how much it resembles a laugh that a rich asshole would have.
As funny as the script was, the writing in general wasn’t anything new or groundbreaking but rather really on the nose. Unfortunately that’s what drew the film back for me. The characters were also quite flat and underdeveloped. O’Brien didn’t really have any motives for his character other than he just an asshole. We get a scene kind of explaining the reason why, but it doesn’t get explored any further.
Besides performances and a witty script, what makes this truly shine is Sam Raimi. His direction is stupendous and his stylistic flair is all over this. Match cuts, crash zooms, clever editing and particularly in this film, the extreme close ups. The scene of O’Brien and Dennis Haysbert in an office was immaculate. It adds to the already uncomfortable atmosphere to really put you on edge.
It wouldn’t be a Raimi film without some jump-scares and they are placed perfectly – they don’t feel out of place or forced which is something I always find with them. I also appreciated that scenes didn’t really overstay their welcome. When Raimi wanted a scene to end it literally just fades to black or dissolves – something that a lot of directors these days seem to forget that they can end a scene whenever they want.
Send Help is brilliantly directed with that iconic Raimi flair covering every ounce supported by amazingly witty performances even if the writing is on the nose and characters are underdeveloped.
Send Help is now playing at the Lockworks.