10x10 | Film Review

Hey Guys x

This is a film that I'd been waiting a while for. I remember reading the description so long ago, and being really excited for it. But then it never had a cinematic release (that I can remember), so I forgot about it until it came onto the Sky movie channels.

Lewis (Luke Evans) is an ordinary man that is hiding a secret - made evident when he kidnaps Cathy (Kelly Reilly) and holds her in a 10x10 soundproof room. But as time goes on, it seems Lewis isn't the only one hiding a secret...

First of all, while the premise of the film is extremely interesting, and centres around this abduction, the abduction scene in the film seemed a bit unrealistic. Not that people can't be abducted in broad daylight, but at the time she had just exited a quite full yoga class, there were cars and people around, and Evans' character didn't seem like he was trying to hide. It felt like if anything had happened slightly differently, he wouldn't have been able to take her. Considering his character's traits, it feels like he would have planned better than that.

During the first part of the film, even after the abduction, you spend a lot of time waiting for something to happen. This isn't a long film at all, but it felt like it could be a lot shorter. Actually, it might work better as a short film.

One of the best things about the film is the fact that, while these characters seem to fit well into the antagonist/victim roles, it takes a while to learn anything about either character, and while this may be annoying at first, by the end of the film, it becomes clear just how important this is. And the fact that both characters have knowledge that the audience doesn't know about makes both of their stories particularly intriguing.
There are also interesting, if quite predictable, twists.

And the ending of the film was extremely underwhelming. It kind of undid a lot of the good work that the middle of the film did.

Overall, after watching it, I remember wondering what the point of the film was in the first place. What was the intention, what story did screenwriter Noel Clarke (who I love) want to tell? I haven't quite worked it out yet.

5/10

Lou