No One Lives (2012)
A lot of people may know Luke Evans from the live action version of Beauty and the Beast or Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit trilogy. With his matinee idol good looks, charming Welsh demeanour and his “smoky” tenor singing voice, he projects a sense of old school stardom. Which brings us to No One Lives; a film which is a radical departure from his previous work. His performance is disconcerting to say the least and the film is somewhat unhinged. Directed by Ryuhei Kitamura, who made an interesting adaptation of Clive Barker’s The Midnight Meat Train, this cinematic outing is similarly replete with robust shocks and gore. There are some interesting ideas about the nature of violence, Stockholm Syndrome and whether one should deny or embrace one’s nature. However, these are ultimately minor asides. Philosophical musings in between bouts of surprisingly striking unpleasantness.
A lot of people may know Luke Evans from the live action version of Beauty and the Beast or Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit trilogy. With his matinee idol good looks, charming Welsh demeanour and his “smoky” tenor singing voice, he projects a sense of old school stardom. Which brings us to No One Lives; a film which is a radical departure from his previous work. His performance is disconcerting to say the least and the film is somewhat unhinged. Directed by Ryuhei Kitamura, who made an interesting adaptation of Clive Barker’s The Midnight Meat Train, this cinematic outing is similarly replete with robust shocks and gore. There are some interesting ideas about the nature of violence, Stockholm Syndrome and whether one should deny or embrace one’s nature. However, these are ultimately minor asides. Philosophical musings in between bouts of surprisingly striking unpleasantness.
After a burglary goes awry, a small town gang of robbers consider how to recoup their losses. Led by Hoag (Lee Tergesen), the gang consists of his brother Ethan (Brodus Clay), his daughter Amber (Lindsey Shaw), his girlfriend Tamara (America Olivo), Amber's boyfriend Denny (Beau Knapp) and the volatile Flynn (Derek Magyar). Flynn targets a couple passing through town, assuming that the expensive car and trailer means that they’re rich and easy pickings. The couple, Betty (Laura Ramsey) and “The Driver” (Luke Evans) are taken to an abandoned gas station by Ethan while Flynn searches their car. Betty, clearly distressed by events, commits suicide. Meanwhile Flynn discovers a woman held captive in the car trunk. She is Emma Ward (Adelaide Clemens) who was kidnapped 8 months ago. The gang quickly realise they’ve crossed paths with a predator and are in serious danger.
No One Lives quickly sets out its stall and keeps moving over an efficient 86 minutes. What is effectively a blending of the slasher and revenge genres is somewhat elevated above the average by an enigmatic performance by Luke Evans. The screenplay by David Cohen focuses on the dynamic between kidnapper and victim. Adelaide Clemens gives a good performance as a woman determined to survive and not become just a “victim”. Luke Evans’character remains suitably vague, with little back story. He often lapses into introspective musing about his own nature, much to the confusion of his “mediocre” prey. When asked if he’s a serial killer he retorts “A serial killer? Sweet Jesus, no. Serial killers deal in singularities. I’m a numbers guy”. When another victim states how they don’t deserve what is happening, he blithely agrees and commiserates that she is “just unlucky”.
Shot on 16mm film, No One Lives has a grimy aesthetic that suits the subject matter. Cinematographer Daniel Pearl was the DP on Tobe Hooper’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Next to Luke Evans’ compelling presence, the second standout aspect of this film are the set pieces. Japanese Australian Director Ryuhei Kitamura constructs some singularly unpleasant death scenes and knows exactly how to fish hook horror fans. He also explores some interesting themes, for those who want something a little deeper but they are presented as optional extras. No One Lives will primarily appeal to horror aficionados due to several “squishy” WTF moments. It also works as a thriller but casual viewers may find the excess of unpleasantness a little too gruelling. The film is certainly an interesting addition to Luke Evans’ resume. I hope he does more like this.
