I find it amazing how people get very critical about films which in some cases weren't advertised as big block busters. OK this isn't going to win any Oscars but hey its wasn't as bad as some people think. I do find these films frustrating sometimes when you dissect them and say well i wouldn't have done that but hey if that is the case then tell all those idiots who still swam with Jaws and still go to holiday camps. It had suspense and some good moments, i thought it was better than i was lead to believe and wouldn't recommend it but if you do hire it then you wont be too disappointed and just enjoy it for what it is a low budget film with some good moments.
39 Reviews
Duel meets Wolf Creek
sanjaywrightus19 March 2009
Having been one of the lucky ones to have spent considerable time on UK motorways at night (and specifically the M1) I was immediately intrigued by the locale for this debut horror from Mark Tonderai. For me the originality of setting alone sets this horror apart from the countless tired horror locations: the haunted house, the woods, the abandoned hospital, etc, etc.
Overall the film is a fairly nuts-and-bolts by-the-numbers horror, which deserves credit for the originality of locale, decent performances, slick direction, with a few genuinely tense set-pieces (particularly the final showdown set-piece, which stands clearly above the rest). However, it is fairly unambitious with character detail (after the opening argument), and there are a few of the usual (and easily avoidable) horror clichés - we even get the hiding in the toilet cubicle sequence (albeit with a slight variation).
You get the sense that Tonderai had his set-up and finale worked out fairly early on but didn't know what to do with the story in between. The central third, while featuring a few decent scenes with the police, takes a couple of left turns into co-conspirator territory, alluding to a networked operation. The scenes with the security guards and the 'escaped' girl feel like they were put in to fill time and up the body count rather than deepen the story as a whole. Personally I felt that a more stripped-down lone bad-guy approach would have been strong enough.
The film owes something to Spielberg's 'Duel' in theme and narrative drive (no pun intended), and there are similarities in tone to the marginally superior Australian horror 'Wolf Creek'
Overall the film is a fairly nuts-and-bolts by-the-numbers horror, which deserves credit for the originality of locale, decent performances, slick direction, with a few genuinely tense set-pieces (particularly the final showdown set-piece, which stands clearly above the rest). However, it is fairly unambitious with character detail (after the opening argument), and there are a few of the usual (and easily avoidable) horror clichés - we even get the hiding in the toilet cubicle sequence (albeit with a slight variation).
You get the sense that Tonderai had his set-up and finale worked out fairly early on but didn't know what to do with the story in between. The central third, while featuring a few decent scenes with the police, takes a couple of left turns into co-conspirator territory, alluding to a networked operation. The scenes with the security guards and the 'escaped' girl feel like they were put in to fill time and up the body count rather than deepen the story as a whole. Personally I felt that a more stripped-down lone bad-guy approach would have been strong enough.
The film owes something to Spielberg's 'Duel' in theme and narrative drive (no pun intended), and there are similarities in tone to the marginally superior Australian horror 'Wolf Creek'
Mayhem on the M1
JohnSeal24 October 2010
Warning: Spoilers
The British social phenomenon known as "white van man" - usually a middle-aged Caucasian with a clean-shaven head and a white van he uses to deliver goods and services around the country - gets the cinematic treatment in this decent thriller from writer-director Mark Tonderai. William Ash and Christine Bottomley play Zakes and Beth, a young couple who, whilst driving along Britain's main arterial road, the M1, espy a woman apparently being held against her will in the back of a truck. After stopping at a rest station to gather their thoughts, Beth is, in turn, snatched by the mysterious trucker. Will Zakes put on his man-pants and rescue her? Filmed on location in Yorkshire, this British blend of Duel and The Vanishing (with a tiny bit of Blow-Up for good measure) is a pretty decent effort, especially considering it's Tonderai's first feature film.
Brooding British Thriller!
Filmnerd198416 August 2009
better than expected British thriller about a mad man in a truck abducting girls. Zakes Abbot discovers this one night when he drive behind the Psycho's truck. is it better to leave it be? or get involved? hell soon find out the consequences of his decision. the last 20 minutes of the film , i found myself yelling at the screen saying "be quiet", "stupid woman" and "moronic dog". decent acting by the lead and superbly directing for first timer Mark Tonderai. the film could have easily be 30 minutes longer, especially since there was a few questions i wanted answered. the lack of these answers is the only reason i gave "Hush" a 7 in stead of an 8.
Decent, but not spectacular.
Tipster1013 September 2011
"Only you saw it. Only you can save them" the tagline reads. This is more or less the theme of this British thriller. Zakes Abbot (William Ash) spots something rather disturbing on the road, a woman caged in the back of a van, and has a dilemma of whether to follow and help or shrug it off as someone else's problem. After a small effort of calling the police and attempting (and failing) to read the dirty number plate, Zakes chooses the latter. That is until his girlfriend goes missing and he realises he has a more personal stake in pursuing the captor.
What follows is a fairly straight-forward cat & mouse chase as Zakes tails and evades the villain simultaneously, bringing to mind the 2003 French thriller High Tension (AKA Switchblade Romance) which as you might expect with that title is essentially one long suspense sequence. The tension in Hush doesn't quite allow it such a cocky title as the French film, but it is a good attempt nonetheless and it provides a few "No don't go there!" or "He's behind you!" moments. The film does however contain almost all the horror clichés, and although it tries to subvert one or two, this is nothing new and horror fans will see everything a mile off. As far as the plot goes, it would have been acceptable as a simple chase-thriller if it weren't for one scene (involving the security guards) which just seemed unnecessary and too contrived even for this already improbable story. Still, at 90mins it's an easy, enjoyable thriller that's worth a watch.
What follows is a fairly straight-forward cat & mouse chase as Zakes tails and evades the villain simultaneously, bringing to mind the 2003 French thriller High Tension (AKA Switchblade Romance) which as you might expect with that title is essentially one long suspense sequence. The tension in Hush doesn't quite allow it such a cocky title as the French film, but it is a good attempt nonetheless and it provides a few "No don't go there!" or "He's behind you!" moments. The film does however contain almost all the horror clichés, and although it tries to subvert one or two, this is nothing new and horror fans will see everything a mile off. As far as the plot goes, it would have been acceptable as a simple chase-thriller if it weren't for one scene (involving the security guards) which just seemed unnecessary and too contrived even for this already improbable story. Still, at 90mins it's an easy, enjoyable thriller that's worth a watch.
Starry starry night!
hitchcockthelegend5 October 2012
Hush is written and directed by Mark Tonderai and stars William Ash, Christine Bottomley, Claire Keelan and Stuart McQuarrie. Music is by Theo Green and cinematography by Philipp Blaubach.
Warring young couple Zakes (Ash) and Beth (Bottomley) are driving up a dark and rain-soaked M1, when all of a sudden a grime covered truck swerves in front of them and the tail-gate lifts briefly to reveal a caged woman in the back. It signals the start of a fight for survival for the pair of them......
The setting is suitably bleak, anyone who has had cause to be on a rainy British motorway at night knows how mind-numbing it can be. Even the stops at the service stations serve as mundane experiences, where the staff are on auto-pilot and other patrons are zombie like in the banality of their routines. Into the fray are a young couple who are on the cusp of breaking up (though Zakes in that macho way is ignorant to this fact), this is where Hush manages to rise above merely being a horror picture cobbled together from bits of other genre pictures. It examines how a fractured relationship reacts to a terrifying reality thrust into their lives, and with barely half a dozen principal characters in the story, this clearly isn't going to be a psycho truck driver movie that sees the antagonist offing a number of dim-wits with gory care-free abandon.
Director Tonderai has done an impressive job with such limited resources, there's a realistic tense atmosphere brought out by the low budget. His staging of certain scenes really grab the attention, with a container base set cat and mouse sequence of events truly breath holding stuff. He doesn't compromise the pace of the movie with pointless filler, it's a standard three tiered horror structure (meet the principals/put them in peril/do or die finale), but the film always remains honest to its core ideas, with Zakes reacting to his various predicaments in a way that is not beyond the realms of reality. There's also some nice camera touches (under carriage tracking shot) and smart use of appliances (light sensors), so why is Hush not more loved and lauded?
Fact is, is that hardened horror fans from the last twenty years will not be able to get away from that old familiar feeling of deja vu. From the cat and mouse on asphalt core story, to scenes such as a toilet hide out, there's territory that has been well trodden in better movies. There's a couple of twists, one that genuinely surprises, but one which is so telegraphed it annoys greatly. Then there is the use of the hand-held camera, which has become a staple requirement, it seems, of fledgling horror directors. Here it is used to dizzying great lengths, so much so it grows tiresome entering the last third and had this particular viewer wondering if the contents of his stomach was about to unload! There's also, perhaps inevitably, some implausibilities that are likely to test the patience of some.
Undeniably it has flaws and struggles to shake them off at times, but the good far outweighs the bad here. And given the small budget and fresh ideas the writer/director puts into what is becoming a stagnated formula, Hush is actually something of a small triumph and well worth seeking out if you are stuck for a tension pumped thriller. 7/10
Warring young couple Zakes (Ash) and Beth (Bottomley) are driving up a dark and rain-soaked M1, when all of a sudden a grime covered truck swerves in front of them and the tail-gate lifts briefly to reveal a caged woman in the back. It signals the start of a fight for survival for the pair of them......
The setting is suitably bleak, anyone who has had cause to be on a rainy British motorway at night knows how mind-numbing it can be. Even the stops at the service stations serve as mundane experiences, where the staff are on auto-pilot and other patrons are zombie like in the banality of their routines. Into the fray are a young couple who are on the cusp of breaking up (though Zakes in that macho way is ignorant to this fact), this is where Hush manages to rise above merely being a horror picture cobbled together from bits of other genre pictures. It examines how a fractured relationship reacts to a terrifying reality thrust into their lives, and with barely half a dozen principal characters in the story, this clearly isn't going to be a psycho truck driver movie that sees the antagonist offing a number of dim-wits with gory care-free abandon.
Director Tonderai has done an impressive job with such limited resources, there's a realistic tense atmosphere brought out by the low budget. His staging of certain scenes really grab the attention, with a container base set cat and mouse sequence of events truly breath holding stuff. He doesn't compromise the pace of the movie with pointless filler, it's a standard three tiered horror structure (meet the principals/put them in peril/do or die finale), but the film always remains honest to its core ideas, with Zakes reacting to his various predicaments in a way that is not beyond the realms of reality. There's also some nice camera touches (under carriage tracking shot) and smart use of appliances (light sensors), so why is Hush not more loved and lauded?
Fact is, is that hardened horror fans from the last twenty years will not be able to get away from that old familiar feeling of deja vu. From the cat and mouse on asphalt core story, to scenes such as a toilet hide out, there's territory that has been well trodden in better movies. There's a couple of twists, one that genuinely surprises, but one which is so telegraphed it annoys greatly. Then there is the use of the hand-held camera, which has become a staple requirement, it seems, of fledgling horror directors. Here it is used to dizzying great lengths, so much so it grows tiresome entering the last third and had this particular viewer wondering if the contents of his stomach was about to unload! There's also, perhaps inevitably, some implausibilities that are likely to test the patience of some.
Undeniably it has flaws and struggles to shake them off at times, but the good far outweighs the bad here. And given the small budget and fresh ideas the writer/director puts into what is becoming a stagnated formula, Hush is actually something of a small triumph and well worth seeking out if you are stuck for a tension pumped thriller. 7/10
Not too bad for his first feature
c_fraquelli24 October 2008
Warning: Spoilers
I saw this in London, UK at the closing night of the Raindance Film Festival. Granted, there were a couple of things that were a little strange. Most notably, the lasers at the end?
However, not bad for his first feature film, proudly sponsored by lottery money - the guy made it for 1 million GBP (british pounds) and did really well with the threat.
Unlike some other horror films, such as Wolf Creek, where they could have easily avoided the guy and run away several times or killed him instead of getting killed, Hush really is tough because he is on the highway, constantly pursuing this killer that he can't even see.
The film quality is obviously lower than usual films, but it simply adds to the grittiness of Northern UK. I was pretty pleased with the main guy's acting as well from an unknown with a heavy Northern accent. I mean, if it wasn't for his unwavering intensity and acting ability, the film would have been crap. The actor had to fully hold up the story on his acting and intensity alone in many scenes.
Well done and looking forward to more stuff from you on the UK scene!
However, not bad for his first feature film, proudly sponsored by lottery money - the guy made it for 1 million GBP (british pounds) and did really well with the threat.
Unlike some other horror films, such as Wolf Creek, where they could have easily avoided the guy and run away several times or killed him instead of getting killed, Hush really is tough because he is on the highway, constantly pursuing this killer that he can't even see.
The film quality is obviously lower than usual films, but it simply adds to the grittiness of Northern UK. I was pretty pleased with the main guy's acting as well from an unknown with a heavy Northern accent. I mean, if it wasn't for his unwavering intensity and acting ability, the film would have been crap. The actor had to fully hold up the story on his acting and intensity alone in many scenes.
Well done and looking forward to more stuff from you on the UK scene!
Harmless enough thriller, harmlessly enough covering some familiar territory, about some rather harmful situations that the director efficiently executes.
johnnyboyz20 May 2011
When the end credits to Hush have finished rolling and people give it a good while before concluding where it is they stand on the film, the easier; more cynical conclusion to reach would be that of arriving at the point which sees the onlooker merely dismiss the project as 1971's Duel with a little bit of 1986's The Hitcher. Where Duel was a rather intense and really quite frightening exercise in style-driven shocks and scares, with The Hitcher somewhat of a droll, mean-spirited romp through not-much-at-all territory chopping and tailing the realism out of the premise in its manoeuvring of Rutger Hauer's killer around so as to spawn further bloodshed, the two films fed off of that same notion of cat-and-mouse; the chaser and the chased; the victimised and the victimiser, thus eventually leading to a few decent set pieces and a lot of the lead questioning his predicament.
The best scene from either of said examples, perhaps ironically, was probably that instance in Duel in which the film takes a break from the predominant locale of the open road and allows our terrified lead a good look at several truckers in a diner stop. Is one of them the psycho? How will the game change now that the trucker knows what the lead looks like? Hush's trick, its U.S.P., appears to be that of the fact the roles of the above are reversed: the sadistic; truck driving; serial killing; open road dwelling madman is effectively himself on the run from the young-gun out to thwart him, and beside this as well as several other things, Hush as a stand-alone piece works better than it might have.
The film will begin with a young couple from the north of England driving along a rainy motorway at night; the intriguingly named Zakes Abbot (Ash) is driving and beside him in the front sits Beth (Bottomley), his girlfriend. Together, they formulate a couple whom were once close enough to have gone on holiday to Egypt; but are presently suffering on through more testing times in the relationship - the writer/director Mark Tonderai establishing a good ear for the sorts of dialogue couples in this scenario provide, a sense of authenticity about proceedings which will later come as the key word in relation as to whether or not numerous exchanges later on work as examples of terrific drama. The rain is hard; looking outwards of the windscreen at the open road is tough to do because of it and Beth sits beside him attempting to fall asleep with the help of a blindfold she sports, so there is this overall sense of diminished visibility about proceedings – a sense of diminished visibility which embeds itself into proceedings precisely when a large, nondescript lorry charges past and Zakes catches what he believes to have been a glance at a desperate looking woman in a kind of cage situated in the back following the rearing up of its rear door. Thus the film begins in earnest when, at a stoppage, Beth herself goes missing and the chase is on.
Then there is the issue of the driver of that lorry, the man here played by a certain Andreas Wisniewski who himself is an actor with the rather idiosyncratic honour of being the first man to have been killed on screen by Bruce Willis' Die Hard regular John McLane; a strong, silent character whom is rarely shot from above the waist and skulks around like some kind of hooded reaper spreading his death and gloom up and down the motorways of Britain: think the killer from those I Know What You Did Last Summer movies minus the hook. Tonderai toys with the character's nature, the man remaining anonymous but relatively human-like for as long as possible for the predominant exchanges before the introducing, through certain means, a golden retriever dog to aid Zakes in his quest as the film pushes on into the final act. The rather apparent introduction of a specific non-human entity to the already established quest of a relatively uncanny nature that the human is taking on is an action going on to hint at, or indeed formulate, the triangle of non-human/anti-human/human components only alluding to a greater degree of uncanniness or other-worldliness that the antagonist does in fact possess. Another example featuring this idea of a character driven framework of standardised convention at work might include 2007 film I am Legend, a piece which suffered considerably when the non-human entity was removed from its text thus fragmenting the threesome.
The film is essentially a test for Zakes to prove his worth, born out of his flagging relationship with Beth, by bailing her out of trouble and saving the day. The framework is not one we haven't previously seen; it follows on from a host of examples, ranging from Neeson's character in 2008's Taken in regards to putting right the estrangement he had from his daughter, to Bruce Willis' aforementioned character from 1988's Die Hard and his to his wife. Zakes' continuous utilisation of the mobile phone that he owns, on this ever-escalating race against time, sees both he and the audience persistently reminded of them during happier times via a shot of Beth in Egypt on that holiday, a reminder of what's at stake and an ongoing indication of the happier times from before that await the lead should he succeed in his overall quest. Hush works on the very specific level upon which it operates with engaging proficiency: a chase thriller with a spin on who's victimising and who's chasing; a concept movie which gets on with proceedings and an overlying character driven process of putting one's flair and ingenuity, key components for Zakes' dream job as a writer, into practise. Where it isn't groundbreaking, it knows what it is; the end result a rather taut thriller which is good value.
The best scene from either of said examples, perhaps ironically, was probably that instance in Duel in which the film takes a break from the predominant locale of the open road and allows our terrified lead a good look at several truckers in a diner stop. Is one of them the psycho? How will the game change now that the trucker knows what the lead looks like? Hush's trick, its U.S.P., appears to be that of the fact the roles of the above are reversed: the sadistic; truck driving; serial killing; open road dwelling madman is effectively himself on the run from the young-gun out to thwart him, and beside this as well as several other things, Hush as a stand-alone piece works better than it might have.
The film will begin with a young couple from the north of England driving along a rainy motorway at night; the intriguingly named Zakes Abbot (Ash) is driving and beside him in the front sits Beth (Bottomley), his girlfriend. Together, they formulate a couple whom were once close enough to have gone on holiday to Egypt; but are presently suffering on through more testing times in the relationship - the writer/director Mark Tonderai establishing a good ear for the sorts of dialogue couples in this scenario provide, a sense of authenticity about proceedings which will later come as the key word in relation as to whether or not numerous exchanges later on work as examples of terrific drama. The rain is hard; looking outwards of the windscreen at the open road is tough to do because of it and Beth sits beside him attempting to fall asleep with the help of a blindfold she sports, so there is this overall sense of diminished visibility about proceedings – a sense of diminished visibility which embeds itself into proceedings precisely when a large, nondescript lorry charges past and Zakes catches what he believes to have been a glance at a desperate looking woman in a kind of cage situated in the back following the rearing up of its rear door. Thus the film begins in earnest when, at a stoppage, Beth herself goes missing and the chase is on.
Then there is the issue of the driver of that lorry, the man here played by a certain Andreas Wisniewski who himself is an actor with the rather idiosyncratic honour of being the first man to have been killed on screen by Bruce Willis' Die Hard regular John McLane; a strong, silent character whom is rarely shot from above the waist and skulks around like some kind of hooded reaper spreading his death and gloom up and down the motorways of Britain: think the killer from those I Know What You Did Last Summer movies minus the hook. Tonderai toys with the character's nature, the man remaining anonymous but relatively human-like for as long as possible for the predominant exchanges before the introducing, through certain means, a golden retriever dog to aid Zakes in his quest as the film pushes on into the final act. The rather apparent introduction of a specific non-human entity to the already established quest of a relatively uncanny nature that the human is taking on is an action going on to hint at, or indeed formulate, the triangle of non-human/anti-human/human components only alluding to a greater degree of uncanniness or other-worldliness that the antagonist does in fact possess. Another example featuring this idea of a character driven framework of standardised convention at work might include 2007 film I am Legend, a piece which suffered considerably when the non-human entity was removed from its text thus fragmenting the threesome.
The film is essentially a test for Zakes to prove his worth, born out of his flagging relationship with Beth, by bailing her out of trouble and saving the day. The framework is not one we haven't previously seen; it follows on from a host of examples, ranging from Neeson's character in 2008's Taken in regards to putting right the estrangement he had from his daughter, to Bruce Willis' aforementioned character from 1988's Die Hard and his to his wife. Zakes' continuous utilisation of the mobile phone that he owns, on this ever-escalating race against time, sees both he and the audience persistently reminded of them during happier times via a shot of Beth in Egypt on that holiday, a reminder of what's at stake and an ongoing indication of the happier times from before that await the lead should he succeed in his overall quest. Hush works on the very specific level upon which it operates with engaging proficiency: a chase thriller with a spin on who's victimising and who's chasing; a concept movie which gets on with proceedings and an overlying character driven process of putting one's flair and ingenuity, key components for Zakes' dream job as a writer, into practise. Where it isn't groundbreaking, it knows what it is; the end result a rather taut thriller which is good value.
87 Minutes of my life that I can never get back...
smorris40511 August 2012
I read other reviews of this film and decided too give a "2" rather than "1". Simply because the arguments made are valid and I like to keep an open mind.
Generally, I love British thrillers. A poor budget or mediocre acting aside, the British usually do things better than the Americans (just my humble American opinion). However, this film takes all the bad things from American thrillers and gives them a British nuance. The film is as if C. Thomas Howell and Rutger Hauer, in "THE HITCHER" had a baby with LeeLee Sobieski and Paul Walker in "Joy Ride". The result is less than entertaining.
So my dear horror and thriller fans, give yourself a break. Pass on this one. It will only disappoint.
Generally, I love British thrillers. A poor budget or mediocre acting aside, the British usually do things better than the Americans (just my humble American opinion). However, this film takes all the bad things from American thrillers and gives them a British nuance. The film is as if C. Thomas Howell and Rutger Hauer, in "THE HITCHER" had a baby with LeeLee Sobieski and Paul Walker in "Joy Ride". The result is less than entertaining.
So my dear horror and thriller fans, give yourself a break. Pass on this one. It will only disappoint.
suspenseful horror story
trashgang29 May 2013
I had this flick for almost 5 years on hold to watch it simply because many people said, don't watch it it's not worth it well I must say that I enjoyed it. You can see that it is a low budget flick because to be honest there aren't any real effects to see.
But that doesn't make it a bad flick. I have seen worse. It do has a great first 45 minutes then it falls a bit in pieces but the end picks up fine again. Okay, the problem viewers had with this flick is the fact that nothing is explained. That's a fact but it didn't bother me at all. You just want to know how things are ending. The only problem is indeed the lack of continuity or an actual story in some parts. Once at the stopping place on the M1 one of the guards do actually believes Zakes (William Ash) and things go wrong but again, suddenly we are back on the M1 and nothing happens further in the story with the guards.
On part of the gore or horror it also has a low value but still combined with the score it actually works. We do go deep into the characters of Zakes and Beth (Christine Bottomley) before things go awry. And so you are involved into their story.
Better then mediocre I should recommend it to horror buffs who like suspense or people who are looking for a good thriller.
Gore 0/5 Nudity 0/5 Effects 3/5 Story 3/5 Comedy 0/5
But that doesn't make it a bad flick. I have seen worse. It do has a great first 45 minutes then it falls a bit in pieces but the end picks up fine again. Okay, the problem viewers had with this flick is the fact that nothing is explained. That's a fact but it didn't bother me at all. You just want to know how things are ending. The only problem is indeed the lack of continuity or an actual story in some parts. Once at the stopping place on the M1 one of the guards do actually believes Zakes (William Ash) and things go wrong but again, suddenly we are back on the M1 and nothing happens further in the story with the guards.
On part of the gore or horror it also has a low value but still combined with the score it actually works. We do go deep into the characters of Zakes and Beth (Christine Bottomley) before things go awry. And so you are involved into their story.
Better then mediocre I should recommend it to horror buffs who like suspense or people who are looking for a good thriller.
Gore 0/5 Nudity 0/5 Effects 3/5 Story 3/5 Comedy 0/5
First time effort - good movie - bad production
metabol9 July 2009
From a pure enjoyment standpoint, the movie is fairly entertaining. From a technical standpoint, it's got a lot of issues. I had a hard time not focusing on them.
This movie is plagued with bad production. Right off the bat, after the opening title sequence, the opening scene with a car speeding down a highway is frozen and then starts. This is obviously an editing blunder.
There were some scenes which looked to be horribly edited in post. For instance, a scene in which the two main characters are speaking across a table. Normally in film or video, the focus shifts from one to the other as they are speaking. This is done in-camera during the filming process. Not here. The effect in this movie was obviously done in post and horribly at that. One half (almost exactly) is so blurred it's distracting. This causes the opposite affect it was used for in the first place; to place the viewers attention on the important subject at the time. A decent production would not have tried to fix this in post, it would have been re-shot. It seems like the footage was not viewed until the whole movie was shot.
Here's a suggestion, get a tripod! There are times when a scene calls for the hand held shaky look, but not during a seated conversation! I was getting a headache. Terrible.
Someone else commented on the lack of sound during a point in the movie. This was definitely not the time or place to try an effect like that. I seriously doubt it was on purpose.
The movie also suffered from doing a very poor job at explaining why or how things were happening, for instance the guard scene. Did I miss something? This reminds me of a decent school type project. Beyond that, it doesn't hold production value for a serious movie.
By the way, this movie's description makes it sound an awful lot like Steven Spielbergs DUEL. Is it a coincidence that HUSH has four letters in its title? I think not. Duel is much, much better.
This movie is plagued with bad production. Right off the bat, after the opening title sequence, the opening scene with a car speeding down a highway is frozen and then starts. This is obviously an editing blunder.
There were some scenes which looked to be horribly edited in post. For instance, a scene in which the two main characters are speaking across a table. Normally in film or video, the focus shifts from one to the other as they are speaking. This is done in-camera during the filming process. Not here. The effect in this movie was obviously done in post and horribly at that. One half (almost exactly) is so blurred it's distracting. This causes the opposite affect it was used for in the first place; to place the viewers attention on the important subject at the time. A decent production would not have tried to fix this in post, it would have been re-shot. It seems like the footage was not viewed until the whole movie was shot.
Here's a suggestion, get a tripod! There are times when a scene calls for the hand held shaky look, but not during a seated conversation! I was getting a headache. Terrible.
Someone else commented on the lack of sound during a point in the movie. This was definitely not the time or place to try an effect like that. I seriously doubt it was on purpose.
The movie also suffered from doing a very poor job at explaining why or how things were happening, for instance the guard scene. Did I miss something? This reminds me of a decent school type project. Beyond that, it doesn't hold production value for a serious movie.
By the way, this movie's description makes it sound an awful lot like Steven Spielbergs DUEL. Is it a coincidence that HUSH has four letters in its title? I think not. Duel is much, much better.
enjoyable thriller
english_artist1 September 2010
I watched this not expecting much, and yeah some of the acting was a bit dubious but overall I was very impressed. When I started watching it I sat there with my finger on the stop button, but that button was never pressed as I was truly hooked. I really felt for the lead character and thought he played the part well. I was also surprised by a few twists here and there which would give Hollywood a run for its money.
For a movie that was obviously on a budget (made with help from the lottery) I think it can stand proud with the multi-million pound big boys from the USA.
A good thriller worth watching
For a movie that was obviously on a budget (made with help from the lottery) I think it can stand proud with the multi-million pound big boys from the USA.
A good thriller worth watching
Enjoyed it for what its worth...
odmorales7 October 2018
Such a good movie. Didn't expect much on this cat-and-mouse/thriller "Hush".
A movie that takes many inspirations in the likes of "Duel", "The Hitcher", and especially that AWESOME movie of Paul Walker and Steve Zhan's in "Joy Ride".
As usual in a horror/thriller films kind of pick up quickly, but fall flat in their story and characters. Although, in "Hush" you get a good story, great thrills, and enough character development within a short film. The story revolves around a couple struggling with their life, especially a job that doesn't quite do much for their financial needs. It's like a every other night for them, until in a unexpected turn the night suddenly shifts when they encounter a man who is out to make their life a living hell. Not knowing why he's doing this, only that he is taking a fond of the chase and their fear.
Didn't want to spoil it. I just gave the synopsis again, but I just wanted to let y'all know that you should definitely check this thriller out. I gave the film an 7/10 because like it did have moments where it was gut-wrenching, but they are certain scenes that make you cringe at the dumb acts that the characters try to get out of the situation. The movie did enough for a short film. This isn't much of a new thriller you see here, which much of it takes inspiration in other thrillers, but it is a definitely fun ride for a night.
A movie that takes many inspirations in the likes of "Duel", "The Hitcher", and especially that AWESOME movie of Paul Walker and Steve Zhan's in "Joy Ride".
As usual in a horror/thriller films kind of pick up quickly, but fall flat in their story and characters. Although, in "Hush" you get a good story, great thrills, and enough character development within a short film. The story revolves around a couple struggling with their life, especially a job that doesn't quite do much for their financial needs. It's like a every other night for them, until in a unexpected turn the night suddenly shifts when they encounter a man who is out to make their life a living hell. Not knowing why he's doing this, only that he is taking a fond of the chase and their fear.
Didn't want to spoil it. I just gave the synopsis again, but I just wanted to let y'all know that you should definitely check this thriller out. I gave the film an 7/10 because like it did have moments where it was gut-wrenching, but they are certain scenes that make you cringe at the dumb acts that the characters try to get out of the situation. The movie did enough for a short film. This isn't much of a new thriller you see here, which much of it takes inspiration in other thrillers, but it is a definitely fun ride for a night.
Average
aqos-115 March 2010
This movie was mediocre. It had some interesting parts, but after a while, it got a bit long winded. Essentially, a couple is on a trip. She feels that their relationship is going nowhere and that her boyfriend is not following through with any of his life plans. She is trying to tell him something and when she feels she can't get her message across, she parts ways with him. During the trip they he sees what appears to be a nude girl locked in the back of a semi truck. Where he and his girlfriend part ways, the truck turns up. The man realizes that his girlfriend has been kidnapped and sets off to find her and rescue her. He runs into a few pitfalls along the way, some drama and death ensues. It gets pretty typical. Not a bad movie, but no the best I've ever seen either.
Cliché-ridden trash
non-shill18 September 2009
Warning: Spoilers
The only reason I give this movie a 4 is that it's not out-and-out boring. That's about all the good I can say about it.
I found it difficult to understand the actors at times, with that awful accent. Good thing I had subtitles.
The film is full of clichés. Miles of them. The antagonist is a big, silent, well-muscled and scary guy. He likes wearing hoods--all the time. Talking, not so much. And he walks verrrrrrrrry slowly, even when following someone. Go figure. Cars will be disabled at the worst possible time. The protagonist makes one annoying and stupid decision after another.
The plot is a joke. There are more loopholes and loose ends than I care to recollect. What was the involvement of the security guard? Why was that one girl helping the psycho? Why are the girls being abducted in the first place? What's going on here? At the end, we never find out. There's no sense of closure or completion, no rhyme or reason. Just a dead hood-wearing scary guy.
And that's why this movie sucks.
I found it difficult to understand the actors at times, with that awful accent. Good thing I had subtitles.
The film is full of clichés. Miles of them. The antagonist is a big, silent, well-muscled and scary guy. He likes wearing hoods--all the time. Talking, not so much. And he walks verrrrrrrrry slowly, even when following someone. Go figure. Cars will be disabled at the worst possible time. The protagonist makes one annoying and stupid decision after another.
The plot is a joke. There are more loopholes and loose ends than I care to recollect. What was the involvement of the security guard? Why was that one girl helping the psycho? Why are the girls being abducted in the first place? What's going on here? At the end, we never find out. There's no sense of closure or completion, no rhyme or reason. Just a dead hood-wearing scary guy.
And that's why this movie sucks.
Fast paced horror thriller.
parry_na3 March 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Will Ash is excellent as Zakes Abbot, a young man whose evening turns out to be worse than anything he has ever known. His girlfriend Beth (Christine Bottomley) spends most of the time yelling at him, and everyone he meets is pretty unpleasant. The man who drives the truck that crosses his path this particular rainy night is the worst of all, and some of the contrivances Abbott resorts to in order to escape his clutches threaten to topple into farce.
The details and motives of the faceless villain are kept deliberately vague, but through Abbot, we see enough evidence to know it is all pretty appalling, and the pace is kept nice and tight and full of tension. There is a degree of repetition, though, with the efforts made to evade Abbot's ever-present threat of capture, but it all moves quickly and dramatically enough for us not to have to dwell on that unduly.
Director Mark Tonderai maintains the solid pace throughout with the speed of events engaging enough for us not to dwell on the fact that this is basically 90 minutes of Abbot escaping one life-threatening situation, only to topple headlong into another.
The details and motives of the faceless villain are kept deliberately vague, but through Abbot, we see enough evidence to know it is all pretty appalling, and the pace is kept nice and tight and full of tension. There is a degree of repetition, though, with the efforts made to evade Abbot's ever-present threat of capture, but it all moves quickly and dramatically enough for us not to have to dwell on that unduly.
Director Mark Tonderai maintains the solid pace throughout with the speed of events engaging enough for us not to dwell on the fact that this is basically 90 minutes of Abbot escaping one life-threatening situation, only to topple headlong into another.
Where Do You Go?
raulfaust25 April 2014
Warning: Spoilers
Movies involving a psycho chasing an innocent guy have been around since the very nineties, and I had my doubts that "Hush" could be somehow an addition to the genre. After some months of searching for the original DVD, I found it on a local website and bought it myself. One thing very peculiar about this film is how the chasing is made; in this case, the innocent man (Zakes) is who follows the lunatic, in order to save his (ex?)-girlfriend. From this point on, the movie reveals to be pretty original in many scenes and circumstances, supported by a professional cast. I just don't understand why English movies tend to portray themselves as rude people, but deep inside I'm positive they're not. The bad aspects about the picture is directing, which is too shaky in some scenes, and the over-the-top plan that the killer builds, which is hard to believe being done in real life. The last fifteen minutes work like a cat and mouse game, remembering some scenes of 2008's "The Strangers", which isn't particularly a problem, but a positive resemblance. Also, I consider it to be in the same level as 2001's "Joy Ride". All in all, this is a good movie, to be honest, and a reason why we should recognize some talent in British productions.
Midlands econ
killercharm12 February 2022
A couple are driving up M1 when they catch a look at a woman locked up in the back of the truck in front of them. On their next stop SHE, the girl in our couple, is taken by the self-same bad-guy. The rest of the movie is his trials and tribulations in trying to help the girls. This is a movie with great momentum, a few interesting twists, but mainly it's a straightforward story well-paced.
Wow... what a good film... NOT
platesofevil21 February 2010
I ummmed and ahhed about renting this film for ages, mainly due to two early warning signs: 1) It's billed as a 'brilliant' British horror (yeah, right), and 2) It's produced by Screen Yorkshire (who also made that wonderful (SARCASM ALERT), ahem, other 'brilliant' British horror 'The Cottage'). How I wished I'd trusted my initial instinct! The acting is atrocious, the script is unbelievably bad, and the title has no bearing on the film whatsoever. It feels like Duel meets The Vanishing meets Breakdown meets... Coronation Street. The Labrador was nice though. Perhaps 'Hush' refers to the fact that after watching this tripe, you really won't want to talk about it with anyone....
A Film Of Two Halves
Theo Robertson17 November 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Like so many films I've seen on Film4's The British Connection this week HUSH seems to be a film of two halves . Some of the films such as LAYER CAKE get off to a great start then fail to keep up the momentum for the second half . Others such as KILL LIST seem to be two different films stuck together and Mark Tonderai's HUSH belongs firmly alongside KILL LIST in this respect
The first half introduces the protagonist Zakes who is driving his girlfriend Beth on a British motorway late at night where he thinks he spots something disturbing in the lorry in front of them . Tonderai mixes the mundane with the indiscernible . We know something nasty is going to happen and this takes place amongst a background of drunken yobs and disinterested motorway service station staff . Something indeed nasty does happen because Beth disappears and the only place she could have disappeared to is inside the sinister lorry . If that's not bad enough Zakes finds himself facing a couple of jobsworth security menwho catch him in the ladies toilet
It's at this crossroads of the narrative that Tonderai could have driven the story to several directions . I was hoping for a low budget British version of the underrated Kurt Russell star vehicle BREAKDOWN but this doesn't really materalise . What we get is a rather confused film that doesn't know what type of horror/thriller it's meant to be . A couple of times I was expecting to be watching some serious torture porn but again HUSH isn't really that type of film . It certainly contains very graphic violence which is somewhat alienating for someone hoping for a straight forward thriller. There's no real explanation as to why people are being kidnapped either which means the audience will be left shaking there heads saying " Is that it ? "
In short this is yet another British film that had potential only to lose it in the home straits . It's a film uncertain as to who the target audience might be . I certainly hoped it was going to be a straight forward intelligent thriller while an out and out fan of graphic horror will probably be left similarally disappointed . It's probably summed up the song at the end which sounds like it'd be at home in another film such as a romantic comedy
The first half introduces the protagonist Zakes who is driving his girlfriend Beth on a British motorway late at night where he thinks he spots something disturbing in the lorry in front of them . Tonderai mixes the mundane with the indiscernible . We know something nasty is going to happen and this takes place amongst a background of drunken yobs and disinterested motorway service station staff . Something indeed nasty does happen because Beth disappears and the only place she could have disappeared to is inside the sinister lorry . If that's not bad enough Zakes finds himself facing a couple of jobsworth security menwho catch him in the ladies toilet
It's at this crossroads of the narrative that Tonderai could have driven the story to several directions . I was hoping for a low budget British version of the underrated Kurt Russell star vehicle BREAKDOWN but this doesn't really materalise . What we get is a rather confused film that doesn't know what type of horror/thriller it's meant to be . A couple of times I was expecting to be watching some serious torture porn but again HUSH isn't really that type of film . It certainly contains very graphic violence which is somewhat alienating for someone hoping for a straight forward thriller. There's no real explanation as to why people are being kidnapped either which means the audience will be left shaking there heads saying " Is that it ? "
In short this is yet another British film that had potential only to lose it in the home straits . It's a film uncertain as to who the target audience might be . I certainly hoped it was going to be a straight forward intelligent thriller while an out and out fan of graphic horror will probably be left similarally disappointed . It's probably summed up the song at the end which sounds like it'd be at home in another film such as a romantic comedy
You are Zakes
d_bendle0610 October 2010
Warning: Spoilers
Zakes is just an average guy surviving on a average job when something happens, like many of us he is willing to tell someone and attempt to do something, but after the pass of responsibility is given to someone else he believes it's not his problem any more.
This film shows how small things we do to people, like letting someone's tyres down because of a reason such as supporting another team it can have drastic affects in the long run.
Zakes has lost his girlfriend in more ways than one, and the white truck becomes more of his problem than it did before, not once does he state he is trying to save the other girl he saw just his girlfriend, he's not trying to be a hero he's just doing what someone would actually do.
Some area's of the film could be criticized such as the car running out of fuel, but we all know how quick fuel runs out when we're on the motorway and when the car stutters and starts to slow, old car's like that do struggle to keep up pace. If anything the fact it didn't breakdown is more unrealistic. I've heard the battery dying was another cliché but the girl who is on it removes the battery so he can't ring anyone, as she puts it back in later on to ring the man.
The camera only ever leaves Zakes when it goes to his girlfriend when Zakes is doing his posters other than that your constantly with him, or being flicked to the security guys for a brief insight into how his girlfriend went missing. This constant sticking with Zakes is essential to keeping the fear factor, such as when he has to hide in the truck the camera is on Zakes, and you can only hear the footsteps, you do not know if the door is going to open or not. The fact Zakes 'talks' to himself and swears is a key part, as in so many films of this type they do not swear or say anything, the fear in his voice and eyes is apparent and William Ash does a brilliant job in bringing you into his feelings, of being terrified of something your chasing.
Zakes goes through a hard time in this, especially after he finds out his girlfriend has cheated on him he still wants to save her. Showing love is a powerful factor and everything isn't over when the worst happens.
Overall this film is easily under-rated, how it slipped under the radar compared to other over-hyped garbage we constantly see is unknown, but this film, given the right advertisements would have easily been a well worth profit maker. The ending wasn't great we're the credits stopped while it went back to the security dude, but how do you end an amazing film like that.
Easily worth the watch, brings emotion and feeling into you and would be a good film to watch with a partner.
This film shows how small things we do to people, like letting someone's tyres down because of a reason such as supporting another team it can have drastic affects in the long run.
Zakes has lost his girlfriend in more ways than one, and the white truck becomes more of his problem than it did before, not once does he state he is trying to save the other girl he saw just his girlfriend, he's not trying to be a hero he's just doing what someone would actually do.
Some area's of the film could be criticized such as the car running out of fuel, but we all know how quick fuel runs out when we're on the motorway and when the car stutters and starts to slow, old car's like that do struggle to keep up pace. If anything the fact it didn't breakdown is more unrealistic. I've heard the battery dying was another cliché but the girl who is on it removes the battery so he can't ring anyone, as she puts it back in later on to ring the man.
The camera only ever leaves Zakes when it goes to his girlfriend when Zakes is doing his posters other than that your constantly with him, or being flicked to the security guys for a brief insight into how his girlfriend went missing. This constant sticking with Zakes is essential to keeping the fear factor, such as when he has to hide in the truck the camera is on Zakes, and you can only hear the footsteps, you do not know if the door is going to open or not. The fact Zakes 'talks' to himself and swears is a key part, as in so many films of this type they do not swear or say anything, the fear in his voice and eyes is apparent and William Ash does a brilliant job in bringing you into his feelings, of being terrified of something your chasing.
Zakes goes through a hard time in this, especially after he finds out his girlfriend has cheated on him he still wants to save her. Showing love is a powerful factor and everything isn't over when the worst happens.
Overall this film is easily under-rated, how it slipped under the radar compared to other over-hyped garbage we constantly see is unknown, but this film, given the right advertisements would have easily been a well worth profit maker. The ending wasn't great we're the credits stopped while it went back to the security dude, but how do you end an amazing film like that.
Easily worth the watch, brings emotion and feeling into you and would be a good film to watch with a partner.
Average
filmsploitation13 August 2009
Phil's Quick Capsule Review: Hush is an average British thriller with average shocks and a pretty average cast with it's average 90 mins running time and a pretty average ending
overall then? Average.
IMDb Rating: 5/10
Best Bit: The premise.
Buy, Rent or Borrow: Borrow
If you liked this try: Breakdown (8/10); Duel (8/10); Roadkill/Joy Ride (7/10);
Phil Hobden For more reviews like this check out:
http://www.mod-life.net/modlife/index_ugly.htm
IMDb Rating: 5/10
Best Bit: The premise.
Buy, Rent or Borrow: Borrow
If you liked this try: Breakdown (8/10); Duel (8/10); Roadkill/Joy Ride (7/10);
Phil Hobden For more reviews like this check out:
http://www.mod-life.net/modlife/index_ugly.htm
An interesting but irksomely forgettable mash of thrill with nil.
Otoboke12 July 2009
Hush, which comes from ex British radio DJ Mark Tonderai (who has also done some small time writing and acting gigs in the past) is an example of the kind of film that excels in areas whilst disappointing and aggravating in others. Taking on the project as both writer and director, Tonderai succumbs to too many short-cut decisions during both tasks which results in an uneven, sometimes overly derivative and cumbersome picture, but also one that is very good at playing to its strengths. The resulting experience when watching Hush then is one of subtle engagement—there are times when you'll be annoyed at decisions made by characters fictional and non, yet this too often works in favour of the film. When taken as a simple thriller, Tonderai's directorial debut succeeds; it may not be the biggest most progressive outing for the genre but it's still got a certain conviction that allows it to hurtle on regardless; careless and somewhat bold.
The same can equally be said for the movie's protagonist who comes in the form of young adult Zakes Abbot (William Ash); an obnoxious, moaning git, basically. Doing his rounds along the M1 with his disgruntled girlfriend as he posts posters on service station bathrooms for some cash while he "works on his book", Zakes inevitably winds up on the wrong side of the road after he stumbles across a truck with a hostage in the back. After having a fight with girlfriend Beth (Christine Bottomley), both eventually go in separate direction whereupon Beth, predictably, goes bye-bye when the same truck stops in for a breather. From here on in, Zakes does the movie a large portion of justice by limiting his vocal contributions to mere screams as he strives to find his girlfriend and stop the maniac who has taken her captive.
Sound familiar? Well, yes, because it is. Countless movies deal with the same basic premise—some which work, some which don't. For all intents and purposes, Hush's story doesn't really work, unfortunately, but that doesn't exactly kill the feature. To director Tonderai's credit, the amount of suspense that is delivered over the course of the movie's ninety minute runtime is palpable. Particularly impressive as a result is the movie's final act which essentially acts as one extremely long sequence of chase between Zakes and his girlfriend's captor. There are some clever devices here and there that do help flesh the whole thing out, yet the basic enjoyment factor here is that pulse-pounding threat that Tonderai builds and builds throughout; it can be exciting, and therein lies one of only two highlights to Hush's palette.
The other highlight lies in the performance of William Ash who—although a little dubious when delivering some lines at the beginning of the feature—sells his fear amicably. For a movie such as this where the viewer's only real link into the psyche of this horror of sorts is through the central character that it's all happening against, Ash does a nice job of keeping that boat alive and breathing above water. This, in tow with Philipp Blaubach and Theo Green's contributions in the form of photography and music respectfully ensures that Hush is punctuated by a realist tone throughout which works well to its advantage.
Despite these areas where Tonderai manages to squeeze moments of suspense and engagement out of his otherwise tepid script however, Hush can be a flat and banal experience—most prominently during the movie's first act. Built upon a mountain of derivative clichés, ridiculous plot twists and dead-end sequences that go nowhere, the narrative that exists to propel the character of Zakes is unfocused and a little short on fresh ideas to the point where the guy's name is the only real original element inherent to it's existence. To this end, Hush irrevocably wastes the above strengths on such short-sighted laziness. Not only is it disappointing, but it's frustrating too. Somewhere within the murky excess of Tonderai's script lies a genuinely seamless experience where suspense is king and plot moves, but not erratically and without clear direction. Unfortunately however, such a movie never quite surfaces and instead, Hush concedes to being an interesting but irksomely forgettable mash of thrill with nil.
The same can equally be said for the movie's protagonist who comes in the form of young adult Zakes Abbot (William Ash); an obnoxious, moaning git, basically. Doing his rounds along the M1 with his disgruntled girlfriend as he posts posters on service station bathrooms for some cash while he "works on his book", Zakes inevitably winds up on the wrong side of the road after he stumbles across a truck with a hostage in the back. After having a fight with girlfriend Beth (Christine Bottomley), both eventually go in separate direction whereupon Beth, predictably, goes bye-bye when the same truck stops in for a breather. From here on in, Zakes does the movie a large portion of justice by limiting his vocal contributions to mere screams as he strives to find his girlfriend and stop the maniac who has taken her captive.
Sound familiar? Well, yes, because it is. Countless movies deal with the same basic premise—some which work, some which don't. For all intents and purposes, Hush's story doesn't really work, unfortunately, but that doesn't exactly kill the feature. To director Tonderai's credit, the amount of suspense that is delivered over the course of the movie's ninety minute runtime is palpable. Particularly impressive as a result is the movie's final act which essentially acts as one extremely long sequence of chase between Zakes and his girlfriend's captor. There are some clever devices here and there that do help flesh the whole thing out, yet the basic enjoyment factor here is that pulse-pounding threat that Tonderai builds and builds throughout; it can be exciting, and therein lies one of only two highlights to Hush's palette.
The other highlight lies in the performance of William Ash who—although a little dubious when delivering some lines at the beginning of the feature—sells his fear amicably. For a movie such as this where the viewer's only real link into the psyche of this horror of sorts is through the central character that it's all happening against, Ash does a nice job of keeping that boat alive and breathing above water. This, in tow with Philipp Blaubach and Theo Green's contributions in the form of photography and music respectfully ensures that Hush is punctuated by a realist tone throughout which works well to its advantage.
Despite these areas where Tonderai manages to squeeze moments of suspense and engagement out of his otherwise tepid script however, Hush can be a flat and banal experience—most prominently during the movie's first act. Built upon a mountain of derivative clichés, ridiculous plot twists and dead-end sequences that go nowhere, the narrative that exists to propel the character of Zakes is unfocused and a little short on fresh ideas to the point where the guy's name is the only real original element inherent to it's existence. To this end, Hush irrevocably wastes the above strengths on such short-sighted laziness. Not only is it disappointing, but it's frustrating too. Somewhere within the murky excess of Tonderai's script lies a genuinely seamless experience where suspense is king and plot moves, but not erratically and without clear direction. Unfortunately however, such a movie never quite surfaces and instead, Hush concedes to being an interesting but irksomely forgettable mash of thrill with nil.
- A review by Jamie Robert Ward (http://www.invocus.net)
An episode of Road Wars gone wrong
Leofwine_draca27 February 2011
An arguing couple are driving along a British motorway in the middle of the night when the back door of a lorry driving in front of them momentarily opens – revealing a young woman, naked and trapped in a cage inside. Soon enough the couple find themselves thrown into the middle of a nightmare as they follow the lorry and try to find out what's going on.
So far so good – this premise is serviceable if familiar, another in the sub-genre of 'road thrillers' following in the footsteps of Spielberg's DUEL, ROAD KILL and BREAKDOWN. The low budget and regional nature of the production promised to give this a decidedly British spin on proceedings, so I sat down ready to enjoy the movie. Unfortunately, as the story progresses, it falls apart completely, with plot hole after plot hole and silly coincidence after silly coincidence, until the film loses all grasp of reality and ends up as nothing more than a Hollywood-style B-movie.
HUSH has more ridiculous moments than most and these drag the plot down, leaving the viewer with too many unanswered questions. It feels like there were problems with production and bad editing is used to try and cover up these flaws – but it doesn't work. Neither does the casting of the wooden William Ash as the unsympathetic hero. Ash, a familiar face for British TV viewers thanks to his role in WATERLOO ROAD, has a single expression throughout the movie and is the second worst thing about the film – next to the script. I profess a certain enjoyment in watching him tortured in silly SAW-style scene, though.
In any case, the film runs out of steam long before the climax and I ended up wishing for it to end. Not one to remember.
So far so good – this premise is serviceable if familiar, another in the sub-genre of 'road thrillers' following in the footsteps of Spielberg's DUEL, ROAD KILL and BREAKDOWN. The low budget and regional nature of the production promised to give this a decidedly British spin on proceedings, so I sat down ready to enjoy the movie. Unfortunately, as the story progresses, it falls apart completely, with plot hole after plot hole and silly coincidence after silly coincidence, until the film loses all grasp of reality and ends up as nothing more than a Hollywood-style B-movie.
HUSH has more ridiculous moments than most and these drag the plot down, leaving the viewer with too many unanswered questions. It feels like there were problems with production and bad editing is used to try and cover up these flaws – but it doesn't work. Neither does the casting of the wooden William Ash as the unsympathetic hero. Ash, a familiar face for British TV viewers thanks to his role in WATERLOO ROAD, has a single expression throughout the movie and is the second worst thing about the film – next to the script. I profess a certain enjoyment in watching him tortured in silly SAW-style scene, though.
In any case, the film runs out of steam long before the climax and I ended up wishing for it to end. Not one to remember.
A "Could Have Been" Type Of Movie
daviddunn-906531 May 2020
The idea was good but poorly executed. In better hands, this could have been a much better movie. The main thing that ruined it, for me, was the atrocious over the top acting of the male lead. It was very off-putting to say the least. Not a movie I would recommend to anyone.
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