No One Lives – Keiner überlebt! (2012)

No One Lives – Keiner überlebt!: Directed by Ryûhei Kitamura. With Luke Evans, Adelaide Clemens, Lee Tergesen, Derek Magyar. A gang of ruthless highway killers kidnap a wealthy couple traveling cross country only to shockingly discover that things are not what they seem.

“Iu0026#39;ve had my eye on No One Lives for a while and in that time I had forged good expectations for the film. What more could an avid horror fan want when such a solid cast gets paired up with one of the most interesting horror directors in the biz in Ryûhei Kitamura, known widely for his direction of the 2000 film u0026quot;Versusu0026quot; u0026amp; more recently for his 2008 u0026quot;The Midnight Meat Trainu0026quot;. So it seemed the filmu0026#39;s success would likely all come down to the quality of the script put forth by first time writer David Cohen. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThis is definitely one of those films that is extremely hard to review without spoiling things, so I will stick to relaying the most basic plot line as possible. After botching their last job, a crew of merciless, degenerate criminals encounter a man(Luke Evans) u0026amp; his girlfriend while eating at a restaurant. This spirals into a further violent meeting between the two which getu0026#39;s more interesting as we come to learn just where the real danger lies. The clash turns bloody as the balance of power shifts u0026amp; the gore begins to rain down.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eOf course it helps to keep in mind that this is in fact a horror film and that youu0026#39;re not going to witness any award winning performances, but there are some really solid efforts given by Evans as the u0026quot;Driveru0026quot; u0026amp; Adelaide Clemens who plays Emma, a kidnap victim who has been hardened by long lengths of mental u0026amp; physical torture. There are a couple of scenes that are sure to please the sickest of fans while at the same time may seem a bit on the gory side to the average viewer, but overall I felt this was a very enjoyable, entertaining vision delivered by Kitamura. He lays down a few subtle nuances early in the film that become clear to the audience later if you pay close attention, the best being revealed near the end of the film.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAs for the downside of the film, there were some real snags in the script that I felt could have been changed and yes there are a few holes in the plot, most of which were used primarily as a vehicle to exploit certain plot developments. Or in one case to present one heck of a bloody surprise, youu0026#39;ll know what I mean after you see it;] Despite those problems, the film still managed to rise above the average effort, but I believe that it was those weak script points that hurt the film in theaters u0026amp; the reason it may draw further criticism in the future.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eSo in the end,if youu0026#39;re trying to decide if this will be a good pick for your horror/gore itch then I can definitely recommend this as a top choice, but if youu0026#39;re looking for a smart thriller with a well developed story then this may not be your best choice, but I wouldnu0026#39;t let it stop you from grabbing it from your local DVD kiosk.”