Patrick and Laura’s weekend vacation in a secluded cabin suddenly turns into a desperate fight for survival when a posse of sociopathic killers with a merciless leader (Robert Patrick), descend upon the house. Unaware that he’s a trained doctor, the gang stab Patrick in the heart and leave him for dead. Knowing that if he removes the blade he will die instantly, Patrick must attempt the impossible before he bleeds to death- saving his wife from the killers with a 10-inch hunting knife lodged in his chest.
From director Bobby Roth, Edge of Fear is a home invasion-style film starring Shen Lin, Zh Zhu, Robert Patrick, Robert Knepper, and Rockmond Dunbar. I was particularly excited to see Robert Knepper in the cast as he is a personal favourite of mine — a fantastic actor. The plot is very much something we've all seen before; a daring escape from a prison bus that goes awry, forcing our bad guys to take some holidaymakers hostage in their own home while waiting for plan B.
Stop teasing Knepper!
The characters are very one dimensional, the plot simple, and the writing cliqued, sometimes even cringy. You've seen this film before — well, not this particular film, but others incredibly similar. It's all very predictable, with scene after scene playing out as expected. The bad guys are stereotypes bought directly from Shutterstock and the overall feel of the film is very formulaic.
Now, as negative as I am sounding, this is not all necessarily bad. I throw my money at any kind of Lovecraftian or monster horror film, no matter how bad, because it's my bread and butter. I love the stuff. This may be formulaic, but it's made for an audience that knows what it wants. It's action, excitement, thrills and kills — you can root for the underdog and, while you know coming and how it all ends, you can enjoy the ride for what it is.
The newest character to enter the MCU — Stabbed Man!
The film manages to stay entertaining throughout, plot and weak characters aside. Shen Lin does a decent job as the heart-pierced protagonist, though he really isn't much of the traditional ass-kicking Willis/Statham type. Once we finally enter the last act of the film, things pick up in a good way and we finally get some decent dialogue and confrontation...albeit briefly — the pacing is really all over the place. The ending has a surprise or two, but not enough to salvage what is honestly a pretty average movie.
If you like survival flicks, home invasion thrillers, and a slew of unsavoury characters getting offed one by one, you'll enjoy this film — maybe. I honestly didn't hate it, it just felt like something I'd seen many times before. The trailer is down below, but if you plan on seeing the movie, avoid it as it's one of those whole-movie-in-the-trailer deals. Thanks for reading and as always, stay sordid.
Edge of Fear is available for Digital Download from 8th October and can be bought here
