Movie Breakdown: Knock At The Cabin

Pre-Screening Stance:

M. Night Shyamalan got me back on his side with Split, but I really didn’t care for either of the two films that followed it, Glass and Old. Here’s hoping he’s done some course-correcting and found his way (again) with Knock At The Cabin.

Post-Screening Ramble:

I had a pretty solid time with Knock At The Cabin. Things get going pretty quickly in the film, with Leonard (Dave Bautista) strolling out of the woods and introducing himself to Wen (Kristen Cui). The young girl isn’t exactly trusting of the hulking fella at first, but he wins her over with his gentle presence (and affinity for catching grasshoppers). Then he frightens her with talk of a tough decision that she and her family are about to have to make and the reveal of three accomplices (who all have weapons). Wen retreats to her two dads, Eric (Jonathan Groff) and Andrew (Ben Aldridge), and the trio attempt to barricade the house, but Leonard and Co. eventually make their way inside, which is when the main crux of the movie is laid out – Wen, Eric, and Andrew must choose to sacrifice one of themselves in order to save the world.

I’ll give it up to M. Night Shyamalan, he could have easily added in a lot of fluff or cheap scares here, but this is a lean movie (the run time is 100 minutes). There’s not even any trickery or some great distraction to disguise anything, he simply posits a question – is the world actually going to end if someone isn’t sacrificed? – and then he barrels towards an answer. And with that approach, the actors really get to shine. Bautista is the standout – his Leonard is clearly a reasonable, caring man but his belief in his hard-to-believe mission is resolute – and Goff and Aldridge are also great as two people stuck in a position where all they can do is hope to ask the right questions. I mentioned no cheap scares, but really, I should note that the movie isn’t scary at all. It’s a pressure-cooker for sure, but it’ll do more to have you thinking than it will peeking through your fingers.

Knock At The Cabin is worth your time. The film opened in theaters today, February 3.

One Last Thought:

KC and The Sunshine Band’s Boogie Shoes has its obvious place in the trailer and whatnot, but the needle drop it gets late in this movie makes for a moment I’ll always remember.