Evan (Keanu Reeves) is a devoted and loving father and husband. His wife, Karen (Ignacia Allamand) is a talent artist and Evan is a productive and successful architect. One weekend Karen takes the two kids to the beach and leaves Evan alone to finish his work. While he sits at home alone a Knock Knock is heard at the door. Evan finds two young women, Bell (Ana de Armas) and Genesis (Lorenza Izzo), wet in the rain standing at his door. Due to his good nature he lets them in and plans to help call a cab, but the generous nature of this deed does not go unpunished. What was initially meant as nothing more than a simple gesture of goodwill, turns into something much more seductive, much more deadly, and far more twisted than Evan could have ever imagined.
For those of you who are familiar with writer-director Eli Roth, you know how demented, horrifying and, downright cruel he can be throughout his projects. The content of his writing and directing often appeals to some twisted minds, but even more so to the darkness that lies deep within each of us. Roth has, in films like Hostel, Green Inferno and Cabin Fever, reached countless viewers and told tales of death, torture and, the fractured human psyche. After the aforementioned films, Roth picks up right where he left off with the games centered around demolishing the hope one might have in mankind. Every step he takes, every decision that goes into developing Knock Knock revolves around leading viewers down the rabbit hole and deeper and deeper into a pit of despair.
In Roth fashion, the film is riddled with melodramatic music that echoes through the halls of the house, constantly keeping viewers on edge, preparing for the worst to happen. The music resonates with viewers as well and finds itself wedged between reality and how Roth might manipulate such throughout his film. Knock Knock is teeming with this eerie, unapologetic music that forces viewers to expect the worst and, honestly, hope for it as well.
Reeves has managed to find great success both in and out of Hollywood, but it is still interesting how this has come to be. His ability to portray anything other than a dimwitted, sure-to-fail-high-school, wannabe rock star is all but nonexistent. He lacks emotion, he has difficulty expressing the tone of the film and how others don’t laugh at him while he yells in their faces is beyond me. Yet, Reeves seems perfect as the role of Evan, as Knock Knock in its entirety walks the line between impressive and utterly ridiculous. It makes no sense that Reeves should be considered acceptable, but his ability to play opposite these two young, interestingly inept individuals (the characters, not the actors) is somehow brilliant. Everytime any of the three (Reeves, Armas, or Izzo) open their mouths and utter even the tiniest sound, it becomes difficult not to cringe. But, as Roth manipulates his audience into ignoring the negative and focusing strictly on what might happen next, they fall in love with the tantalizing nature of Reeves’ subpar performance. He has no tells, he leads viewers nowhere, adding to the suspense that has them thinking there is no happy ending in sight.
The suspenseful writing, antagonistic acting, and crude innuendo somehow manage to work together to create an oddly satisfying product. The frustrating, but appropriate acting of Reeves keeps viewers oddly intrigued throughout Knock Knock. Though Roth has often found success in the past by employing obscure, but talented actors, he takes a different approach that highlights the flaws of some well-established actors. The ridiculousness of the film, coupled with the compelling but horrific nature of what Roth typically brings to the table makes for an awkwardly brilliant story of lust and destruction.
Directed by Eli Roth. Written by Eli Roth, Nicholás López, Guillermo Amoedo, Anthony Overman & Michael Ronald Ross. Starring Keanu Reeves, Lorenza Izzo, Ana de Armas, Aaron Burns, Ignacia Allamand, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/10
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