Exclusive film review: 10 Cloverfield Lane

A young woman wakes up from an accident chained to the wall in a grim little bunker. The sound of her approaching captor elicits a queasy tension – what is he going to do to her? Is this going to be another Saw-esque slice of torture porn?

Debbie Stowe

Well, no, but it’s impossible to give the actual genre without dropping a massive spoiler. Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) finds herself in the hands of doomsday prepper Howard (John Goodman), whose belief in conspiracy theories has finally been vindicated (he claims): the outside air is contaminated following a nuclear (or maybe chemical… or biological) attack by the Russians. Or maybe the Iranians. Or aliens. Anyways, whichever way you play it, going outside is certain death, so Michelle had better hunker down with Howard.

Hmm. Michelle can’t allay her skepticism by making a call to her family, switching on the TV or checking Facebook (everyone died in the attack, says Howard, and communications are down). But something about his story doesn’t add up. So what are we watching? Is it a war film, with axis of evil militants about to storm the place? Is it a sci-fi, with Martians poised to sweep in? Or is it simply a thriller – is the whole contaminated air thing just a cover story so Howard can keep Michelle locked up? Is he her savior or her captor? Well-meaning conspiracy theorist with poor social skills, or a psychopath?

Whatever the genre (and director Dan Trachtenberg withholds the revelation until fairly late in the game), 10 Cloverfield Lane is certainly tense and effective. Goodman blends folksy hospitality with an air of menace that would unnerve fans of the 1990s sitcom Roseanne, in which he played the laidback husband.

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Winstead also rises to the demands of her role – getting most of the screen time in a claustrophobic movie that lacks expansive sets or scenery to distract from the acting – and Michelle evolves from the troubled and uncertain character we first meet, as she is forced to cope with her plight.

The chilling atmosphere and quality acting is enhanced by a twisty plot that keeps the audience guessing about Howard and his motivation, with frequent wrong-footings.

When it comes, the ending is more divisive. Some will feel that it squanders the long build-up, others that it ups the excitement.

It is not until this point that the relevance of the title is made explicit, although the viewer can surmise. Described as a “spiritual successor” to the 2008 horror movie Cloverfield, the second film in the franchise shares no narrative elements or characters, and works perfectly well if you have no knowledge of the first one. 10 Cloverfield Lane in fact has more in common with Stephen King’s Misery, and there are some shocking moments, almost as excruciating to watch as that movie’s most notorious scene.

The genre uncertainty is both a plus and a minus – while it ratchets up the tension, it risks alienating viewers who were rooting for a different outcome. But there are plenty of taut thrills in the preceding hour-plus to compensate.Director: Dan Trachtenberg

Starring: John Goodman, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Gallagher Jr., Douglas M. Griffin

On at: Movieplex Cinema Plaza, Grand Cinema & More, Cine Grand Titan, Hollywood Multiplex, Cinema City Cotroceni, Cinema City Sun Plaza, Cinema City Mega Mall