Home ownership is the dream of every couple seeking to start a family and set sail on the voyage that is life. In The Intruder that was absolutely the case with a young married couple, Scott and Annie Russell (Michael Ealy and Meagan Good). After years of toiling and working their tails off in San Francisco, they have found the pie in the sky abode north of the city on the way to wine country. Problem is, the man who owns the house and sold it to them, Charlie Peck (Dennis Quaid), is not quite ready to let his grasp on the only home he’s known go to the Russells.
The Intruder is now out on DVD, Blu-Ray and digital download formats and is a pretty entertaining thriller that showcases a side of Quaid that is not seen too often—that is probably a good thing. He makes a convincing villain and let’s just get this out of the way… that eerie smile that Charlie sports at the most inopportune times is the definition of chilling. See, Charlie lived in that house as a boy, after all his ancestors built the place. He and his wife made a home there, until she died. Wait a minute, how did his wife die? As you see in The Intruder trailer, she took his shotgun and shot herself. That’s not quite how it went if you believe the suburban rumor mill.
Of course, this is all news to the Russells. They, at first, handle Charlie with kid gloves because they feel bad for him. Well, let’s be real … Annie feels bad for him, Scott not so much. The latter believes that they bought the house, Charlie needs to go and fade off into retirement or whatever it is he is going to do with his final chapters. What occurs over the remainder of the film is a decently put together thrill ride that has the viewer wondering when Charlie is going to show up next and exactly how he is going to spook the young lovers…and us!
This kind of thriller does not work without the supreme acting talents of the ensemble. All three leads—Quaid, Good and Ealy—are top notch. Good and Ealy have worked together previously and it shows. They have an affable shorthand that is such a joy to watch. You really pull for them to achieve their goals and get this psychotic former owner out of their lives. Then again, the way that Quaid embodies his character is filled with such life and just enough sensitivity that when this entire thing goes off the rails the viewer is left with a tinge of empathy for this poor soul who is not quite all there.
It’s an interesting needle to thread and director Deon Taylor, working from David Loughery’s script, manages to keep us engaged throughout and it never drifts into that territory that derails other thrillers. You know the ones that veer into the unbelievable in terms of introducing characters and then having them do things we know they would never do. That is not the case with The Intruder as these characters are firm in their convictions and personalities all the way through. When things go south, it is from a place of emotional reality and therefore, makes it all the more terrifying.
There are a bevy of bonus features, including a jaw-dropping ending never seen prior to this release. Check out the film in its entirety, then immediately go to that alternative ending and see how you feel about the directorial choices. We found both interesting and feel that the helmer went with the right ending, but the additional closing is certainly fascinating.
A solid behind-the-scenes featurette, Making a Modern Thriller Featurette, explores how everyone involved brought this unique home invasion story to life. The cast and crew talks about the filmmaking experience, the character of Charlie Peck and how the landscape of Foxglove (the homestead) contributes to both sides of this struggle unwilling to let go of its beauty and homeliness. There’s even a great look at the location scouting efforts and how they had to find just the right locale for this story to work. They scored, needless to say.
There are also six deleted scenes and a delightful gag reel that shows that the actors and filmmakers had a great time making a film that scares… almost too much fun!
The Feature Commentary finds Taylor, Loughery, producer Roxanne Avent, Good and Ealy waxing poetic about the making of the movie and it adds layers of insight that enhances the overall experience of witnessing The Intruder. Also interesting is the Audio Commentary track that adds angles to the making-of process that are as unique as they are entertaining and informative.
Film Grade: B
Bonus Features: B-