Interesting film with Simon Pegg in a very strange role incarcerated in a dungeon and the evolving story of how he came to be there and how he tries to trick his way out are the central themes of the movie. At 1hour 51minutes the film for me was just too long and 20 minutes of fill in scenes could have been culled without detracting from the central story.
As you can see from the two existing reviews, which split in opposite directions, you'll either accept the schlocky premise here or hate it. But one thing the movie does have is interest: this is no tedious policier (of which there seem an infinite number). Part of me thinks that the person who green lit it didn't necessarily believe it would be done well, they just wanted to see such a far-fetched plot done at all.
Having said that, I do definitely agree that it's too long: no hokum-based thriller should exceed 100 minutes, because the moment you get bored enough to think about it, it's going to fail. But if you can stand the longeurs and a bit too much talking, it's a moderate amount of fun.
Lily Collins’ wealthy father dies, leaving her to find Simon Pegg (in a straight role) chained up in an underground bunker in the woods. He’s been there for 30 years yet greets her as though she’s the next-door neighbour dropping by for a chat. It’s a dumb premise followed by a plot that’s too ridiculous to believe. How did this ever get the green light?
Pegg acts his socks off in an American accent but you might as well be listening to him performing on a darkened stage, babbling interminable screeds of exposition for the benefit of the audience. Eerie soundtrack music attempts but fails to add some tension to proceedings. The plot does move above ground as well, but you won’t care a jot.