THE LOFT Review

Brief THE LOFT Review by Nestor Bentancor.

The multiplexes don’t seem to be offering many choices for fans of the thriller genre these days. Even less common are Hollywood-made murder mysteries, leaving foreign films and TV shows in charge of fulfilling that demand. Being one of those that regularly needs a dose of twisty stories, I really looked forward to the arrival of THE LOFT, ignoring a clue that in many cases indicate trouble: a January release date.

The story follows closely the original “Loft,” a successful Belgian movie directed by the same filmmaker, Erik Van Looy: Five married friends (Karl Urban, James Marsden, Wentworth Miller, Mathias Schoenaerts, and Eric Stonestreet) share a penthouse loft to secretly indulge in their lust fantasies, until they discover the dead body of a beautiful woman.

This cool premise would work great in a theatrical setting, furthermore, the use of flashbacks makes it a rich and less claustrophobic experience. All the actors do a fine job, but “The Loft” is one of those films were the director is the real star. Van Looy skillfully takes advantage from the Hitchcock toolbox to craft a gripping and stylized whodunit that glues your eyeballs to the screen from beginning to end.

When I am this entertained, I am way more forgiving towards poor dialogue lines and plot holes. But how the puzzle is resolved is an essential part in the genre, and what really separates the efficient storytellers from the true masters. Sadly, the ending here is a disappointment: Characters’ motivations don’t justify their actions and the amount of stupid decisions is ridiculously high.

However, if you are willing to enjoy a journey without a satisfactory destination, you should get a key and check out “The Loft.”

“The Loft” is now playing in theaters nationwide.