A THIEF STALKED BY PSYCHOPATH
Thouse. Sean Falco (Robert Sheehan) lives in Portland, Oregon, and is a budding photographer by day and also a restaurant valet, but a burglar by night. Together with his best friend Derek Sandoval (Carlito Olivero), they rob the homes of the restaurant’s unsuspecting patrons.
They manage to execute several easy scores between them. But one fateful night, everything changes. Falco stumbles onto a woman, chained and gagged, at a victim’s house. Afraid of being caught, he abandons her but makes a police report. Unfortunately, the police find nothing and, from then on, things just go downhill for Falco. He ends up being hunted by Cale Erendreich (David Tennant), the affluent house owner who turns out to be a raging psychopath. The thing about Falco is that while he is clearly not the most ethical guy in the neighbourhood, he still believes that his moral code is intact. Guilt-ridden by his terrible decision of leaving the woman behind, he feels HE saying “crime does not pay” takes a new meaning in Dean Devlin’s latest film Bad Samaritan when a thief uncovers more than what he has bargained for when intruding into a that it is his duty to set things right and save the woman, at whatever the cost.
Tennant, of Doctor Who fame (the BBC television series), plays the menacing antagonist with much aplomb. A smooth talker with sophisticated looks, Erendreich nurses a violent streak that easily gets triggered. Although thoroughly unstable, his actions are still well calculated and planned, thus, allaying any suspicions from the authorities.
In this day and age where most people proudly display their affiliations on social media, it is no longer difficult to find out about someone’s background and loved ones. And Erendreich’s advanced knowledge and access to technology makes him a formidable threat. Irked that his dark secrets have been unearthed, Erendreich sets out to make the young man’s life a living hell. Upon the discovery of the chained woman, this psychological thriller takes a straightforward approach in its storytelling. While there is a lot of suspense thanks to Erendreich’s relentless attempts to systematically ruin Falco, there are also moments that feel The mystery woman (Kerry Condon) imprisoned by Erendreich. Robert Sheehan plays Sean Falco, a common thief who stumbles onto someone else’s bigger crime.
rather unnecessarily tedious.
Written by Brandon Boyce, the movie offers an interesting premise that not all criminals are entirely bad people. But then, where exactly do we draw the line? The narrative serves as a social commentary on the mismatch of society’s perception and reality. Someone like Erendreich gets a pleasant visit by the police even though a report is lodged against him whilst Falco receives the cold shoulder treatment simply because he has committed petty crimes in the past.
But, above everything else, this film reminds viewers that while technology has enhanced our life for the better, it still can be lethal when used against us. It makes us think twice about disclosing too much personal information online. Now you might also want to reconsider that action of having your home address saved on your vehicles’ GPS.