Directed by:
Nimród AntalScreenplay:
Mark L. SmithCinematography:
Andrzej SekulaComposer:
Paul HaslingerCast:
Kate Beckinsale, Luke Wilson, Frank Whaley, Ethan Embry, Dale Waddington, Antonio Buíl, Scott Anderson, Chuck Lamb, Andrew Fiscella, Ernest Misko (more)Plots(1)
For young couple Amy and David Fox (Kate Beckinsale and Luke Wilson), a long day bickering in their car suddenly gets much worse when they break down in the middle of nowhere. Luckily for them they find a motel and settle down to watch some TV. Concern rises when they realise the 'snuff' movies the motel thoughtfully supply for their guests seem vaguely familiar. Discovering hidden cameras, they realise that they are about to star in the performance of their lives, or rather the end of it, unless they can somehow escape. (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)
(more)Reviews (4)
A pretty gripping B-movie that never gets boring and, more importantly, won’t make you shake your head at the stupid behaviour of the characters. The protagonists act in a surprisingly realistic fashion, which makes their fight for survival very believable. That very important good thing compensates for the shortcoming that is the main villain, who’s not precisely brimming with charisma and who feels contrived instead of scary. Although figuring out the ending wasn’t hard, I had good fun, which is something I appreciate in films. 71%
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Antal is talented. He’s got the craft down pat, and he gets by just fine on a minimal budget. He doe just fine so as long as there’s banging on doors and people watching battered VHS tapes of somewhat bizarre home videos. Then the banality of the story he tells starts to suffocate him and he has to unwittingly weave the viewer through a thick layer of clichés that escalate into a very stupid finale. This film will fade into oblivion soon enough, but I don't want to condemn it completely given the occasional disturbing moments. I give it a weaker three stars.
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Even though you know what will happen in the next minutes and there are no surprises, Vacancy is quite good. Nimrod Antal knows how to scare and the whole thing moves along quite nicely. Plus, Luke Wilson shows that his versatile acting face really works in any genre. Definitely not for more than one viewing though.
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Half an hour of total boredom with various and especially predictable clichés, without any scare, with logical blunders and terribly acting Kate. The climax came during the prolonged scene of banging on various walls and doors, when I almost turned red with her absolute dysfunctionality. And then suddenly, a few blinks, a few scares in a short time, and I'm looking at everything differently and I honestly root for the main duo (or rather the likable Wilson). Impressive shocks, on the other hand, some denial of clichés and a creepy atmosphere. The contrast against the introduction is almost unbelievable.
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