Hush (2008)

Hush (2008). 1h 31m | Not Rated

“Hush, which comes from ex British radio DJ Mark Tonderai (who has also done some small time writing and acting gigs in the past) is an example of the kind of film that excels in areas whilst disappointing and aggravating in others. Taking on the project as both writer and director, Tonderai succumbs to too many short-cut decisions during both tasks which results in an uneven, sometimes overly derivative and cumbersome picture, but also one that is very good at playing to its strengths. The resulting experience when watching Hush then is one of subtle engagement—there are times when youu0026#39;ll be annoyed at decisions made by characters fictional and non, yet this too often works in favour of the film. When taken as a simple thriller, Tonderaiu0026#39;s directorial debut succeeds; it may not be the biggest most progressive outing for the genre but itu0026#39;s still got a certain conviction that allows it to hurtle on regardless; careless and somewhat bold.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe same can equally be said for the movieu0026#39;s protagonist who comes in the form of young adult Zakes Abbot (William Ash); an obnoxious, moaning git, basically. Doing his rounds along the M1 with his disgruntled girlfriend as he posts posters on service station bathrooms for some cash while he u0026quot;works on his booku0026quot;, Zakes inevitably winds up on the wrong side of the road after he stumbles across a truck with a hostage in the back. After having a fight with girlfriend Beth (Christine Bottomley), both eventually go in separate direction whereupon Beth, predictably, goes bye-bye when the same truck stops in for a breather. From here on in, Zakes does the movie a large portion of justice by limiting his vocal contributions to mere screams as he strives to find his girlfriend and stop the maniac who has taken her captive.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eSound familiar? Well, yes, because it is. Countless movies deal with the same basic premise—some which work, some which donu0026#39;t. For all intents and purposes, Hushu0026#39;s story doesnu0026#39;t really work, unfortunately, but that doesnu0026#39;t exactly kill the feature. To director Tonderaiu0026#39;s credit, the amount of suspense that is delivered over the course of the movieu0026#39;s ninety minute runtime is palpable. Particularly impressive as a result is the movieu0026#39;s final act which essentially acts as one extremely long sequence of chase between Zakes and his girlfriendu0026#39;s captor. There are some clever devices here and there that do help flesh the whole thing out, yet the basic enjoyment factor here is that pulse-pounding threat that Tonderai builds and builds throughout; it can be exciting, and therein lies one of only two highlights to Hushu0026#39;s palette.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe other highlight lies in the performance of William Ash who—although a little dubious when delivering some lines at the beginning of the feature—sells his fear amicably. For a movie such as this where the vieweru0026#39;s only real link into the psyche of this horror of sorts is through the central character that itu0026#39;s all happening against, Ash does a nice job of keeping that boat alive and breathing above water. This, in tow with Philipp Blaubach and Theo Greenu0026#39;s contributions in the form of photography and music respectfully ensures that Hush is punctuated by a realist tone throughout which works well to its advantage.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eDespite these areas where Tonderai manages to squeeze moments of suspense and engagement out of his otherwise tepid script however, Hush can be a flat and banal experience—most prominently during the movieu0026#39;s first act. Built upon a mountain of derivative clichés, ridiculous plot twists and dead-end sequences that go nowhere, the narrative that exists to propel the character of Zakes is unfocused and a little short on fresh ideas to the point where the guyu0026#39;s name is the only real original element inherent to itu0026#39;s existence. To this end, Hush irrevocably wastes the above strengths on such short-sighted laziness. Not only is it disappointing, but itu0026#39;s frustrating too. Somewhere within the murky excess of Tonderaiu0026#39;s script lies a genuinely seamless experience where suspense is king and plot moves, but not erratically and without clear direction. Unfortunately however, such a movie never quite surfaces and instead, Hush concedes to being an interesting but irksomely forgettable mash of thrill with nil.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eu003culu003eu003cliu003eA review by Jamie Robert Ward (http://www.invocus.net)u003c/liu003eu003c/ulu003e”