By Kathy Flynn
David Tennant as Cale Erendreich in Bad Samaritan
Small-time thief Sean (Robert Sheehan) gets more than he bargains for when he breaks into Cale Erendreich's urban mansion in this taut, well-paced thriller from director Dean Devlin.
Sean and his best friend Derek (Carlito Olivero) are valets at an upscale restaurant, who burglarize the homes of the restaurants patrons while they are dining. When Sean enters Cales's home, he finds a brand new credit card and a little something more...a tortured woman bound and gagged in an office. Sean's decision to rescue the woman leads to a tension-filled cat and mouse game between him and Erendreich with ever increasing stakes.
Cale is played by beloved Doctor Who actor David Tennant, who has avoided the stigma of typecasting with successful roles in
Broadchurch and
Jessica Jones, where he plays supervillain Killgrave, a character that is quite similar to Cale in many ways. But chameleon Cale is in some ways even more terrifying; what he lacks in superpowers he makes up for in pure malevolence and the lack of even a shred of empathy. You can feel Cale's eventual delight as he matches wits with Sean, and finds a foil worthy of his attention. Every step of the way Sean makes the smart move, avoiding the horror movie cliché of bad or dumb choices. He constantly tries to do the right thing, making him a likable and relatable protagonist.
Both the violence quotient and tension are high, and this is not a film for the squeamish, but lovers of suspense will find this film smart and entertaining.
Bad Samaritan is the latest offering from Legion M, the first fan-owned and funded production company. Legion M launched in 2016 and has raised over $3.5 million from 7,000+ investors.