Knock At The Cabin Is A Tense And Engaging Thriller Writer/Director M. Night Shyamalan is back with his new thriller “Knock at the Cabin” and like his earlier works; the film blends reality with supernatural elements to put ordinary people in circumstances that are dangerous and unnatural. The film involves a same-sex couple named Eric (Jonathan Groff) and Andrew (Ben Aldridge), who have taken their adopted daughter Wen (Kristen Cui), to a secluded cabin for a relaxing vacation.
The arrival of four strangers lead by the imposing but soft-spoken Leonard (Dave Bautista) becomes dangerous when Leonard informs them that the world is about to end and only by choosing to sacrifice one of them can the Apocalypse be diverted.
Leonard explains that the four had the same vision of the end of the world and that they were drawn to save it by taking such drastic actions. They inform their captives that they will not harm them but they will not be allowed to leave as they must make the choice and failure to do so will doom everyone and force the three of them to exist as the sole-survivors of the aftermath.
Convinced that the intruders are insane; Eric and Andrew refuse the offer and watch as one of the four captives sacrifices themselves which is soon followed by news on the television of a massive earthquakes which resulted in tsunamis.
Convinced it is a ruse or simply timed events to the days news; the captives again refuse a request only to see another sacrifice followed by more news of devastation happening around the world.
What follows is a tight thriller as Eric and Andrew learn more about their captives and the changing world situation which forces them to confront a world gone mad.
The film is good at setting a tone and maintaining a mild tension throughout as the audience is left to wonder how real what is being presented by Leonard and his associates are. I liked the fact that the movie did not try to wrap things up nice and tidy and left the audiences with some questions about the events as well as what would happen in the aftermath.
Bautista gives an career-best performance and shows that his is capable of doing more than the action-comedy genre which he has been playing to date and I hope he continues to seek roles such as this.
While the film may not reach the levels of some of his earlier classics, Shyamalan has crafted an entertaining film that keeps you guessing.
3.5 stars out of 5