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DVD Removal
 Run time: 91 min Rating: 4.8 Genres: Thriller Director: Nick Simon Writers: Daniel Meersand, Oz Perkins Stars: Billy Burke, Mark Kelly, Oz Perkins |
| Storyline Cole is a likeable regular guy. Except that ever since he witnessed a gruesome murder-suicide, things haven’t been quite right. His wife left him, he is tormented by hallucinations and his career has nosedived into a blue collar job with a carpet cleaning service. Just when it seems his life has reached bottom, Cole is called out on an all-night cleaning job in an Italianate mansion far from the city. For company he has Henry, the rich, condescending homeowner who seems to take sadistic pleasure in letting Cole think he has just murdered his wife. A reddish stain on the carpet, a knife hacking into baked rabbit, a cell phone that won’t stop ringing – does it add up to murder or is Cole losing his last handhold on his fragile sanity? Written by Jithin BK |
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| Plot Keywords: hallucination, suicide | |
| Details: Country: USA Release Date: 7 November 2010 (USA) |
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DVD Removal
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4 comments
If NOT for the fantastic performance from Mark Kelly playing cleaner Cole Hindin (it helped that I had a huge crush on him during this, but that didn't alter my review), some good cinematography and a great soundtrack/score, 'Removal' (5/10) would be a complete waste. Why? Well, I can't say without spoiling the movie's over-used "secret" that I almost missed. I'll be honest, I usually see this coming, and I did kinda get it through the movie with the numerous clues. Part of the problem was the enormously bad acting from the movie's homeowner, Henry Sharpe (Oz Perkins). In fact, it was so obviously bad, you knew something was up. That said, again, Mark did such a good job, you'd think you were watching a Class A movie vs. the B-movie it was. It's worth a rental if you like those suspenseful (lite) thinkers involving a recovering and separated man, Cole, who witnessed his best friend, Eric, kill himself following Eric killing his own wife. Time has passed and now Cole's being summoned to conduct a solo yet "3-Person" cleaning job at a massive mansion overnight. Cole's suspicious of the owner's secretive nature regarding the quick/quiet job and the weird disappearance of his own wife. See it on the cheap.
I'll never fully understand exactly how people rate films here; try as I might, the reasoning eludes me…
Anyway, DEFINITELY better than it's current 4.4 rating (especially if graded on the curve with so many other garbage films out there) Well written and acted; especially well directed. Very engaging and suspenseful. YES, we've seen this kind of thing before and NO, it's not the absolutely most original story out there, BUT, a well done film is a well done film, and that is SUPPOSEDLY why we rate and review films here, right…?
The primary actor does an excellent job as the calm 'Cleaner' Cole. There is very nice use of photography and editing and excellent use of sound design to add to the strong psychological mood of the film (with the very minor exception of unfortunately one of my personal neurotic irritations where pouring drinks and other consequential sounds are SO bloody loud, MUCH louder than they should be – GOD I hate that!)
So, if you like solid, competent, Psychological thrillers either with or without 'Twists' and as long as you appreciate good film making, then you should definitely enjoy this movie. BTW, that was the first time I've ever seen Oz Perkins (Anthony's son) who also co-wrote the excellent screenplay, and I felt that he carried the 'disturbed' torch well where his father left off. I would LOVE to see him do more Horror films, but he hasn't really done very many at all.
Overall the movie is strong on mood if a bit lighter on substance. Not anything earth-shaking, but a decent, well done, enjoyable Thriller…
I'm not really a fan for a movie this type. So, I give it a 5 for neutral. The twisting plot is so awesome. It's like I've been thinking the whole time what the hell is actually happened? And wanted to know how the ending's gonna be. Well, at least the ending told the whole story.
But, what's weird though is how the two-characters talk to each other. It doesn't seem like he was talking to himself. More like a real conversation to another guy. That's not how hallucination looks like. Yeah, i know he created another identity for himself so that he can cover up what he had done from the past, but it doesn't looks right. The characters should be played differently.
As i don't really likes psycho movie, so I can say the movie wasn't so bad, and not so good. Just average.
Note: I do a lot of fast forward while watching this movie. 🙂
I'm not usually a big fan of low-budget thrillers with all their gratuitous gore and hacky flashbacks but for its genre, I think this movie is a 10. I love its offbeat intensity. It has all the fun of a campy movie while avoiding being….well…campy. For a thriller it's remarkably gripping, sophisticated and well-acted, without taking itself too seriously. Mark Kelly's flammable character is an edgy yet cool carpet-cleaner. Oz Perkins (son of Tony) gives us impeccable poker-faced comic relief as an uptight millionaire. (Makes me want to look for them in other films.) Billy Burke is his penetrating, sensitive self. There's also a great cameo by Elliot Gould playing a psychiatrist. And there will be blood- plenty of it. But it's the story's ending that gets you. It made me want to turn around immediately and see it again! There's nothing better than walking out of a film reeling! (pun?)