Welcome back for another edition of A Second Look with Jeff Stockton! In this segment I will take a "second look" at a past LRF release with a fresh set of eyes.
When Nocturne was first released in Season 5, the Clive Steinbeck-penned film was a decent success. It got mixed reviews, but managed to turn a small profit for the studio. I honestly didn't remember much about this film other than it being the Reese Witherspoon-Jeremy Renner "Boogey Man" movie, but I don't recall disliking it upon its original release. So I guess it wasn't really the most memorable movies when it first came out, but I was still intrigued to take another look at it.
Looking at Nocturne now, it actually is a pretty good little thriller. It is fantastically cast with Witherspoon, Renner and company absolutely nailing their roles in the film. The plot works too, although I found myself wishing that they had gone for more of an R-rated horror take on the material. Yes, the plot gets pretty silly at times, but that would probably have been more forgivable as a horror film than a thriller. I would say that it's biggest flaw is that it plays things too safe for its own good, which certainly kept it from standing out. It's a good film thanks to its casting and concept, but it easily could have been a great, memorable thrill-ride with some minor changes to up the intensity and stakes.
Original Grade: C+
New Grade: B-
Link: https://lrfdatabase.weebly.com/nocturne.html
No comments:
Post a Comment