Randomly saw that this starred Beyonce Knowles so I gave it a shot on a lark. Found out it co starred Ali Larter and got more intrigued in seeing it. Rotten Tomato has it at 19%. Now on to my review.
This is a damn fun film. It certainly doesn't break new ground but the tension is built very nicely and every actor, save Beyonce, is above average. It's not that Beyonce is bad per se either, it's just that she plays it a little too street in a film that could of used a more subtle heroin.
Idris Elba and Beyonce play a happily married couple whose life is thrown into turmoil when A temp at Elbas company, played by Larter, goes cuckoo for cocoa cock.
The build is quality as Elba plays it subtly enough in the beginning to throw Larters character some glances and respond as most men would if a hot chick was clearly flirting with them, but he reigns in his playfulness once he realizes and perceives that things may be going a little too far. Unfortunately, Larter is batshit crazy, and so the fun begins.
Most of the notes are hit pretty spot on as the detective plays it real laid back, giving us the sense that she can see thru Larters lies but still playing it right down the middle until the evidence is very clear. There's a little silliness in the miscommunications that all films like this present as a way to further the story but they don't overdo those happenings or linger on them, instead pushing ahead and letting the tension build fairly naturally.
The film felt a little long, but never boring enough to let it really bother me, and Beyonce is equally awful in the final scene as she really ghettos it up in a showdown with Larter, but then does an excellent job at conveying empathy as we come to a satisfying conclusion.
Props to Elba and the director for taking a pretty stock premise and giving it a nice edge.
Not a great film but a well above average Fatal Attraction knockoff that stands on it's own and deserves a lot more praise than it seems to have gotten.
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