[Review] Everyone’s a suspect in No Exit
This movie contains depictions of topics such as addiction, drug use, kidnapping, mentions of suicide, and violence against children, and may be triggering for some viewers.
No Exit is an American thriller that focuses on young college student Darby (Havana Rose Liu), who we meet for the first time in her court-ordered rehabilitation program. After receiving troubling news about her estranged mother in hospital, Darby escapes the confines of rehab, only to end up at a rest stop in the middle of a blizzard. Things take a horrible turn when Darby discovers that there is a young girl bound and gagged in the back of a van belonging to one of the strangers inside the rest stop. Darby tries to help the young girl, while also trying to discover who among them is the kidnapper.
Directed by Australian director Damien Power (Killing Grounds, 2016), No Exit is based on the novel of the same title by author Taylor Adams. The film stars Havana Rose Liu (The Sky Is Everywhere), Dale Dickey (Hell Or High Water), Dennis Haysbert (Far From Heaven), and Danny Ramirez (Assassination Nation). Powers had never heard of the novel, however, he was immediately drawn to the screenplay when he was sent a copy to look over. “I knew what to do with it,” Power recalls. “No Exit has an incredibly tight plot. It’s character driven. It’s contained. It’s suspenseful and intense. It has this amazing hostile setting. I thought it was the perfect thriller.”
At the beginning of the film we meet flawed protagonist, Darby, who is in a rehabilitation program ordered by the court. I take issue with the stereotyping of drug addicts in film, and this is no different. There always seems to be a redemption story arc where addicts are put into situations where they need to prove they are good people and worthy of respect and care.
Unfortunately, No Exit didn’t stray from providing this exposition, seeing Darby being treated like a child by rehabilitation staff after receiving a concerning call regarding her mother. Making her grand escape, Darby steals a car and heads toward her mother, who is in Utah. However, she ends up stuck at a rest stop because of a dangerous blizzard. Liu does a brilliant job as Darby, and was most definitely the stand out character (protagonist or not). Her strength, practical smarts, and characterisation were standouts as the lead.
Whilst No Exit was busy making me feel like they were delivering a predictable plot line, there were many seeds planted throughout the movie to counteract any assumptions being developed as a viewer. Once Darby arrives at the rest stop in the mountains, she meets four strangers, including Sandi and her husband Ed, loner Lars, and charismatic and friendly Ash. Going outside to search for cell phone reception, Darby discovers a young girl tied up and gaff-taped in the back of one of the strangers’ vans. From this point, the film continues to deliver an intense narrative driven by isolation, danger, and a life-or-death situation for the young girl.
The evening continues to develop as the strangers gather round a table and play cards while getting to know one another. Darby is distracted by the fact that she has found the young girl. However, she does try to maintain interest and keep up with discussions. Each character provides reasons for us as viewers to suspect them as the kidnapper. There are some well-developed twists that, when first set up, made me feel like I knew what was going on. It surprised me at each turn that the storyline took to bait-and-switch at the last minute. The twists were enjoyable, and made for an easy watch without having to think too much about the developments throughout.
The darkness of the outdoors environment made it difficult for me to see what was happening. I understand these techniques are used to depict the danger and isolation of environments, however, having astigmatism hampered the scenes to the point where I could barely see what was happening. I encourage others to keep that in mind when watching No Exit. Ultimately, the darkness didn’t detract too much away from the story, only caused issues for viewing comfort.
No Exit is a fast-paced thriller that is let down by a convoluted kidnapping plot that causes confusion and irritation as to the motivation of the suspect. I found a lot of the story regarding the kidnapping going over my head (might have been more of a me issue than a story-telling issue). Other than that, the film is an easy to watch popcorn style movie that provides an interesting plot twist that should have been predictable but was left for a brilliant reveal.
No Exit launches on streaming services February 25.
