"Fatale" Review: What Happened In Vegas, Didn't Stay There!

“Fatale” is the latest in the cheating husband who messed with the wrong woman genre. “Fatal Attraction” is the gold standard for husbands stepping out on their wives and reaping what they sow. Since the 1987 film there have been plenty that have tried to emulate it or deliver something similar. In fact, screenwriter David Loughery wrote 2009’s “Obsessed”, which had a similar theme. It seems he learned a few things with his latest screenplay for “Fatale” by side-stepping predictability but a couple flaws keep it from greatness.

Derrick (Michael Ealy) is a man who has it all on paper. He’s got the job, the luxurious house, and a beautiful wife. He and his wife have hit a rough patch and they seem to be on different pages. So when Derrick attends a bachelor party in Vegas with his business partner Rafe (Mike Colter), he has a one night stand with Val (Hilary Swank). It’s a mutual fling with both stating they are from out of town trying to blow off steam. 

The next morning, Derrick wakes up and is ready to bounce, having come to his senses, but Val wants more. Weeks later, Derrick has the fight of his life with a masked home invader. When the police arrive, the detective in charge of the case is Valerie Quinlan, his one night stand. From there, the game of cat and mouse begins with some surprising twists along the way. 

Swank has fun trying on a non-traditional character for her. She walks the tightrope of a scorned woman and an evil genius with just the right touch of humanity to create a three dimensional fatale. Ealy brings a certain relatability to his fish out of water character and does what he can with the script. Unfortunately, his character is written to continuously make poor decisions. That doesn’t stop him and Swank from having some juicy moments on screen. The subtext in their second encounter, right after the home invasion, is fun to watch. In fact, a lot of the delivery of Swank’s lines have a consistent weight to them that makes her character scary yet thrilling to watch because she’s so smooth with her hidden rage.

A lot of credit goes to director Deon Taylor. He’s shown tremendous growth in his storytelling since he dipped his toes in the thriller genre with "Traffik". He understands how to craft suspense (as evident in his last pairing with Ealy in "The Intruder") and uses his camera to speak where the script doesn’t. In one scene, after speaking with Derrick, Val backs out of the driveway with the camera locked down and watching from the back seat. As the car goes up the natural incline of the driveway and then levels out, Derrick disappears from the background of the frame due to the front of the car lifting up. We’re left to focus solely on Val’s face in the foreground. It’s a power shift that is told in pictures, not words. Taylor is certainly one to watch. 

Cinematographer Dante Spinotti shoots LA for the first time since “Heat”. It’s a gorgeous and sleek looking film that adds to the story that all that shimmers isn’t gold. This is the third collaboration of Taylor and Spinotti and each outing continues to build on their ability to tell story through film.

While the “Fatale” does a good job of subverting the stereotypical plot, it forgets to leave the dumb husband trope out of loop. By the time Derrick starts making good decisions, you’ve yelled at the screen enough to leave him to Val’s schemes. Nonetheless, it’s still an entertaining watch with some moments you won’t see coming.

Rating: B

"The Intruder" Review: Stellar Suspense, Dumb Decisions

Certain movies ask for you to just go with it in order for you to take the full ride. The Intruder is one of those types of films. If the lead characters did what we’d do in real life, the movie would be over in thirty minutes. So if you can check your brain at the door and go with it, this film may be the popcorn suspense thriller for your outing this weekend!

Scott (Michael Ealy) and Annie Russell (Meagan Good) are a young, successful couple living in San Fransisco looking to start a family. How does Annie want to do that? By buying a house in Napa! They find a beautiful property with lots of character that’s been in one family for generations. The current owner, Charlie Peck (Dennis Quaid), greets the couple by shooting a deer right in front of them the first time they visit the property. If that initial encounter isn’t “Get Out” enough for them, throughout the showing, Charlie has a way of stressing the “must keep” features of the house. 

After purchasing the property, Charlie finds ways to keep showing up at Scott and Annie’s new home. He mows the lawn and cites that “it was getting out of hand”. It probably doesn’t help that Annie keeps inviting him to functions, like Thanksgiving, even though Charlie is supposed to have moved to Florida to be near his daughter. The Russell’s friends Mike (Joseph Sikora) and Rachel (Alvina August) have mixed views on Charlie. Mike doesn’t trust him and thinks he’s a peeping Tom, while Rachel thinks he’s a hot old man. Regardless, a seed of suspicion is planted and grows into full blown awareness as the film moves forward. 

The trinity of actors in this film do a great job of playing their roles. Good plays the loving wife with a heart for the poor old man who lost his wife in their home. Her character is authentic and, while naive, earnest in her decisions. Ealy is the out of his element husband in his new country home digs who also shouldn’t be slept on just because he wears glasses and nice clothes. Quaid has the most fun as the possessive, rehearsed, good ‘ol country boy. In fact, Quaid is repulsive in this movie at some points. Once the sicko is unmasked, he goes all in with his character and it raises the stakes in the hair-raising, skin crawling, “get away from me old man” delivery.

As his follow up to 2018’s Traffik, director Deon Taylor is proving one thing, he understands how to build suspense and tension in a scene. In fact, that’s the biggest thing that this film has going for it. There are a lot of illogical plot contrivances that writer David Loughery has placed in the film. However, Taylor understands what’s creepy, what’s scary based in reality, and uses the camera, lighting and sound to highlight it. 

While the use of tension and suspense is fantastic in parts, it doesn’t make up for the whole of the film. There is a point in which an audience starts to yell at the screen in a film like this that’s fun, but there’s also a point in which the film becomes a comedy when it wasn’t written for that. The Intruder looks at that tipping point and walks over the edge. Had it been grounded in more realistic decisions it could be a film that you remember past next week. That said, the ending produced one of the most joyously, uproarious screams of satisfaction I’ve heard in a while.

Rating: C