Knock Knock
Keanu’s there...
Can a leopard ever really change its spots? There’s a point during Knock Knock’s classy opening credits – in which the camera explores every nook and cranny of family-man Evan’s (Keanu Reeves) stylish abode while an ominous score builds to a crescendo – when helmer Eli Roth’s claims of a mature change of direction start to sound vaguely plausible. True to the Hostel maker’s word, his fifth feature – a twisted home-invasion thriller – has nary a bloodbath in sight. It’s not long, though, before dodgy sexual politics come into play – and suddenly you’re in no doubt who’s behind the camera. Funny Games this ain’t.
A loose update of 1977 exploitationer Death Game, Knock Knock sees Reeves’ middleaged architect left home alone when his loving wife and kids head for a weekend at the beach. With a storm raging outside, he’s visited by two sweet, scantily clad babes (Lorenza Izzo and Ana de Armas) looking for a good samaritan to take pity on them. After Evan inevitably gives into temptation, the strangers’ true intentions are revealed – and so begins a cat-and-mouse game of torture, murder and humiliation.
There’s an initial smattering of tension and knowing humour. But once the deed is done, as it were, Roth’s faux-morality tale spins out of control – cue increasingly preposterous plotting, one-note antagonists and a hideously miscast Reeves; If John Wick played to the star’s strengths, Knock Knock’s snivelling, whiny victim reveals his biggest weaknesses, though the fact he makes it through one guffaw-inducing monologue – in which he desperately likens his infidelity to eating “free pizza” – without a hint of a smile is no easy task… THE VERDICT An initially intriguing thriller that crumbles thanks to a cringeworthy script, a miscast Reeves and Roth’s trademark excess. › Certificate TBC Director Eli Roth Starring Keanu Reeves, Lorenza Izzo, Ana de Armas, Ignacia Allamand Screenplay Guillermo Amoedo, Nicolás López, Eli Roth Distributor Entertainment Running time 96 mins