DVD Review—Restraint (2008)
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Aubrey Ward III
A gifted and talented soul that was fortunate to be shaped and molded in the fires of 80s pop culture. I now spend my free time reading comic books, playing video games, and watching all kinds of movies while impatiently waiting for She-Ra's big comeback. By Aubrey Ward III
Published on 08/27/2008
An interesting psychological thriller with a love triangle from your Australian neighbors...
Who's The Captor & Who's The Captive?
An interesting psychological thriller with a love triangle from your Australian neighbors. Ron & Dale (Travis Fimmel & Teresa Palmer, respectively) are two crazy kids on the run with a body in the trunk. They luck out when they find a deserted mansion in the countryside to hide in. They soon discover that a reclusive rich guy named Andy (Stephen Moyer) lives in the abode. Before they can kill him Andy begs for his life in exchange for forty thousand dollars. The young drifters agree to work with their prisoner in exchange for financial security.
Sounds simple, right? I'm sure it would be a cakewalk just to force the old bachelor to write out a check, but then where would the fun be in such a boring transaction? Andy tells the couple that in order to get the money Dale will have to go to the bank and pose as his fiancée. Can the runaway stripper pull off the posh look long enough to secure the cash from the bank? How will Ron cope with his trashy gal pal going proper? Is Andy as helpless as he seems to be? All these questions and more will be revealed in this 2008 nail-biter.
Honestly, I was turned off at first. The filmmakers do a great job setting up Ron & Dale as two despicable cretins that deserve to be thrown into a jail cell until The Rapture. Then they pick on the poor lonely rich man and things start to get a little interesting. It's not until the couple accept Andy's little agreement when the story becomes really twisty. Dale puts on the costume of a grand dame but soon she starts taking a liking to playing the proper lady, which sets Ron on edge. Add to that a little spark between Dale & Andy and you got a house full of drama ready to blow.
Other highlights include the performance of Mr. Fimmel as the gun-toting Ron, who seems like a pretty hardened criminal until his insecurites start showing. One of the twists involves Andy finding a dangling thread in Ron's bad boy image and pulling on it enough to unravel the bully's resolve. Ms. Palmer does a fine job portraying the inner turmoil in Dale. She's lived so long being bad that she never imagined she would have an opportunity at success and independence. It was fascinating to watch whether Dale would open the door to freedom or stand by her loving yet maniacal boyfried. And of course, Mr. Moyers's "Andy" has a lot more going on inside that blue blood brain of his than meets the eye.
Though Restraint isn't outstanding, it does make for a nice rental. Mystery buffs will probably predict the end in milliseconds but simpletons like myself will enjoy being somewhat amused by the big reveals. Not spectacular but not abyssmal.
Sounds simple, right? I'm sure it would be a cakewalk just to force the old bachelor to write out a check, but then where would the fun be in such a boring transaction? Andy tells the couple that in order to get the money Dale will have to go to the bank and pose as his fiancée. Can the runaway stripper pull off the posh look long enough to secure the cash from the bank? How will Ron cope with his trashy gal pal going proper? Is Andy as helpless as he seems to be? All these questions and more will be revealed in this 2008 nail-biter.
Honestly, I was turned off at first. The filmmakers do a great job setting up Ron & Dale as two despicable cretins that deserve to be thrown into a jail cell until The Rapture. Then they pick on the poor lonely rich man and things start to get a little interesting. It's not until the couple accept Andy's little agreement when the story becomes really twisty. Dale puts on the costume of a grand dame but soon she starts taking a liking to playing the proper lady, which sets Ron on edge. Add to that a little spark between Dale & Andy and you got a house full of drama ready to blow.
Other highlights include the performance of Mr. Fimmel as the gun-toting Ron, who seems like a pretty hardened criminal until his insecurites start showing. One of the twists involves Andy finding a dangling thread in Ron's bad boy image and pulling on it enough to unravel the bully's resolve. Ms. Palmer does a fine job portraying the inner turmoil in Dale. She's lived so long being bad that she never imagined she would have an opportunity at success and independence. It was fascinating to watch whether Dale would open the door to freedom or stand by her loving yet maniacal boyfried. And of course, Mr. Moyers's "Andy" has a lot more going on inside that blue blood brain of his than meets the eye.
Though Restraint isn't outstanding, it does make for a nice rental. Mystery buffs will probably predict the end in milliseconds but simpletons like myself will enjoy being somewhat amused by the big reveals. Not spectacular but not abyssmal.