What the latest thriller from director M. Night Shyamalan may lack in surprises, it makes up for with some standout performances (especially from Dave Bautista) and an unrelenting sense of tension.

Premise: While holidaying at an idyllic cabin in the woods, Eric (Jonathan Groff), Andrew (Ben Aldridge) and their 7-year-old daughter Wen are confronted by four armed strangers (Dave Bautista, Rupert Grint, Nikki Amuka-Bird and Abby Quinn) who believe that the world is going to end unless the family is willing to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Review:

Two things to note about Knock at the Cabin from the outset is that, firstly, it’s an adaptation of a novel (rather than an original story by M. Night Shyamalan), and secondly, it’s not the straightforward home-invasion thriller that the premise might suggest. Because this film is adapted from a novel, it means it doesn’t necessarily come with the same “baggage” that an M. Night Shyamalan scripted film might have – and by that I mean, you don’t necessarily have to spend the whole film trying to second guess what the twist might be. In fact, you could be forgiven for saying that there are surprisingly few surprises in Knock at the Cabin, as (for me, at least), the plot to the film played out along the broad lines I was expecting.

But that isn’t meant as a criticism especially, as Knock at the Cabin is a film that’s all about the tone, the performances, and the tension, rather than the plot or any wild narrative twists. The film also has a different name from the novel (which had the more memorable title The Cabin at the End of the World), which is perhaps an acknowledgment that the movie does depart from the source material in the second half, which again may be due to the film’s focus on suspense rather than shock in some key plot areas.

“…the film is powered by several great performances, but front & centre is Dave Bautista…”

Plotwise, the premise to both the book and the film is tantalisingly simply: an odd group of fanatics armed with homemade medieval weapons take a young family hostage, and explain that the world is going to end unless the family choose one of their own to sacrifice themselves to prevent the apocalypse. Thankfully, the film doesn’t find a contrived way for the family to immediately take the ultimatum seriously, which would have placed all of the dramatic emphasis on the dilemma itself. Instead, the family and the strangers start the film poles apart in terms of what they believe, but little cracks then start to develop, as seeds of doubt are sown in the minds of both Eric (Jonathan Groff), who is suffering from concussion and may or may not be thinking straight, and one of the strangers (I won’t say who). The film is therefore able to play with the questions of whether or not the strangers’ visions mean anything, whether they’re just delusions, or even whether they themselves are being manipulated, instead of simply being about what the family should do if the apocalypse really is on its way.

The film is powered by several great performances, but front and centre is Dave Bautista in his most impressive dramatic role yet playing Leonard, the de facto leader of the group of strangers. Playing against expectations, Leonard is softly spoken, calm and reassuring, explaining empathetically to his hostages that he wishes there was some other way of averting the apocalypse that didn’t involve the family having to make the impossible choice. It's the contrast between Leonard’s kind and empathetic demeanour and his intimidating physically presence that makes the character so interesting, and he never descends into a “childlike gentle giant” cliché, instead remaining the calm and thoughtful centre at the heart of the storm.

“…M. Night Shyamalan is able to generate & maintain a sense of tension throughout…”

For me, the other standout performance came from Ben Aldridge, who plays Andrew, father to Wen and husband to Eric. I wasn’t familiar with Ben Aldridge before this film, but he gets to bring lots of different layers to Andrew, from the panic and impotence of the initial home invasion, to his steadfast refusal to consider the ultimatum even if what Leonard was saying was true. A serious of flashbacks during the course of the movie flesh out Eric, Andrew and Wen’s backstories so that we have a better understanding of what brought them to where they are now – and of the three of them, Andrew’s emotional journey involving a lifetime of dealing with homophobic intolerance is arguably the most revealing.

The rest of the cast is also great, but for dramatic purposes, many of them have limited screentime to maintain the sense of mystery around their characters. Rupert Grint’s Redmond comes across as the most volatile of the group of strangers, while Nikki Amuka-Bird’s Sabrina appears to be the most highly strung. Abby Quinn rounds out the group of strangers and initially appears to be the least committed to their mission, while Jonathan Groff’s Eric is more of a closed book than Andrew is, possibly because his concussion means that no one is quite sure where his head is at. Even Kristen Cui is very effective as Wen, keeping the character the right side of sympathetic and avoiding the usual pitfalls of child actors.

“…as an exercise in suspense & tension, it’s a gripping & original thriller…”

Alongside the impressive performances, this film’s greatest strength is the sense of tension which M. Night Shyamalan is able to generate and maintain throughout. Right from the opening scene, in which Wen first meets Leonard in the woods outside the cabin, the tension never lets up in the present day, with the occasional flashbacks showing Eric and Andrew’s backstory offering the only respite for audiences.

Overall, this is arguably M. Night Shyamalan’s most accessible film in years, as it’s less idiosyncratic than Old, and the subject matter is arguably less niche than Split or Glass. That said, it is more of a mood piece than anything else, as the plot is little more than the central premise, and I’m not even sure you could call Knock at the Cabin a character study given that the film intentionally only gives us limited insight into the inner lives of most of the characters. But as an exercise in suspense and tension, and as a snapshot of how various different personality types might deal with the prospect of a potential apocalypse, it’s a gripping and original thriller.