For this week’s entertainment, I went back to the Blu-Ray shelf and grabbed the next one in line. The selection ended up being the thriller “The Intruder” from 2019. This film stars Michael Ealy, Joseph Sikora, Meagan Good, Alvina August and as the villain, Dennis Quaid. I was not really expecting too much from this film as the trailers pretty much summed it up. A nice young couple move into their new forever home, only to find that the previous owner just can’t let it go. While this may be a slight variance to the “home invasion” genre, it pretty much stayed true to form with no real surprises.
As this is now an older film, and flows with the normal clichés, stereotypes and plotlines, I won’t worry about revealing any spoilers. The film starts out in San Francisco where Scott (Ealy) and his new wife Annie (Good) have decided to leave the hustle and bustle of city life for a new home to start a family in Napa Valley. While searching for their new home, they come across a century old mansion in a small town. This house has it all, character, space, beautiful landscape, and of course, the crazy owner, Charlie (Quaid). This is brought to the forefront in the initial meeting scene as the Scott (Ealy) and Annie (Good) are walking through the grounds, see a small deer and then witness it’s shooting by Charlie (Quaid). A little dramatic foreshadowing if you will to show what a Looney tune Charlie (Quaid) is.
Charlie (Quaid) then shows them the Mansion and the grounds, emphasizing that this home was built by his ancestors, (don’t forget about that part) and he and his family have lived there for generations. Emphasizing some of the family heirlooms, and more Victorian designer choices that were passed on, we get to see a side of Charlie (Quaid) that is meant for others, not the real Charlie at all. Annie (Good) falls for not only the house and property, but also likes Charlie, probably far more than Scott does at this point. So according to the standard plot lines for this type of film, the young couple purchase the house, move in, and old Charlie (Quaid) reluctantly gives up the keys to his ancestral home. After moving in and getting settled, Annie and Scott host a small dinner party with Scott’s business partner/friend and his wife, Mike and Rachel (Sikora and August respectively). After hearing about the previous owner (Charlie) and seeing the grounds, Mike (Sikora) is actually starting to feel something is up and advises Scott (Ealy) about his feelings and perceptions.
As Scott (Ealy) continues his commute from Napa Valley to San Francisco on a daily basis, we see some other aspects of the relationship between Annie (Good) and Scott (Ealy). While driven at work, Scott (Ealy) was caught for transgressions previously in their relationships and that Annie (Good) still has some trust issues. Additionally, we find out that she finds Charlie (Quaid) to be a Mans Man. A hunter, handyman, a man who works with his hands, a protector and provider. This is quite different from Scott (Ealy) who kind of plays a newer generation; an aversion to firearms (told in a backstory), kind of a lady’s man, not much of an outdoorsman and always goes to the modern solution vice dealing with it himself.
As the film progresses, we find Charlie (Quaid) not willing to give up his old home. He shows up consistently unannounced, cuts the grass like it was his own, does gardening and helps Annie (Good) around the house. This causes tension between Scott (Ealy) and Annie (Good), not to mention the rising ire that Scott (Ealy) feels for Charlie. Being fed by Mike’s (Sikora) theories of Charlie (Quaid) and also finding out some of the darker portions of his past, Scott (Ealy) demands that Annie not have any dealings with him and informs Charlie (Quaid) that he is not welcome on their property. As this movie is full of clichés and is predictable as all hell, this small confrontation between the two main characters sets the ball rolling for the inevitable ending.
Mentally snapping, Charlie (Quaid) takes matters into his own hands and tries to remove Scott (Ealy) while wooing Annie (Good) at the same time. As with all movies of this genre, it culminates to a battle between Scott (Ealy) and Charlie for not only the property, but also for Annie. As I mentioned before, there is nothing new in this film, it followed the traditional plot lines for films of this type and every action and scene were predictable in pace and sequence.
What did I like about this film? Well the scenery and setting was actually very nice. So nice, that it prompted my wife and I to discuss a future trip to the Napa Valley (Once the COVID BS is settled) and San Francisco. This is even with the full knowledge that it was filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, but it still triggered our discussion nonetheless. The home used for the film was gorgeous as was the setting. Also, it is nice to see Quaid in the role of the villain, this is a welcome change from his earliest films where he was always the good American boy, clean cut and heroic (The Right Stuff, Dreamscape, Enemy Mine, The Big Easy to name but a few). Now as the villain, I feel that he is finding new ground, and expanding his repertoire.
What didn’t I like about the film? Even though this is a well worn genre and tends to follow a tried and true formula, the director/script could have had added a few twists and turns. At no point in the film did we come across a scene or dialogue that we had not predicted beforehand. Additionally, the characters of Scott (Ealy) and Annie (Good) could have been more developed. Bring the personalities more to the forefront, give us a bit more back-story. Anything to flesh them out a bit, as they were almost robotic in their characters and delivery, and following the formula till the natural end of the film.
While on the subject of the cast, lets take a deeper look at the principal characters.
Michael Ealy as Scott: Over the last few years, we have watched Ealy in more and more programs. Most recently in “The Good Wife” and “Stumptown”. However, I find him pretty dead-panned in his delivery in all roles, not just this one. He does not show emotion well, and is extremely stoic throughout the film. Even when he is supposed to be worried about his wife and Charlie, he clenches his jaw and broods. He needs more emotion in his acting to make it believable. Furthermore, he needed more of a backstory on who and what he was. We would get a glimpse here or there, but never enough to really know the character. Any small piece of information that was given, added to the predictability of the film. Maybe a few red herrings could have been included. Overall, there was nothing new or memorable here.
Joseph Sikora as Mike: Sikora played the friend and business partner well. He actually had more brains in figuring out what was happening then “Scott” did in the film. We have watched him in a few roles over the years and I believe that his time may be coming. Traditionally, he plays in bit and minor supporting roles, and I hope to see him in further films as the principal co-star to really see what he is made of. As the best friend, partner and one of the victims, he played it well and helped bring the storyline along. If it was not for his participation in the film, key plot lines or dramatic foreshadowing scenes would not have happened. As I previously mentioned, I look forward to future roles with him.
Meagan Good as Annie: Annie as a character was very disappointing in this film. I thought that I had not really seen Good in much beforehand, and I had to check IMDB to check her resume. Surprisingly, I found that while I had seen in her several films before, I guess her contribution did not stand out enough for me to really remember it. I felt that there was potential in the character that could have been developed further, however, I am sure it was primarily due to either the script or direction that the details were not presented, and was not really the fault of the actress. In “The Intruder” there was nothing in the Annie character to make it memorable or actually want you to have more, unfortunately, for us, it just wasn’t there. Again, it might not be her fault, but that of the script. We found her character to be extremely one dimensional, and also greatly added to the predictability of the film.
Dennis Quaid as Charlie Peck: Now, even though playing a typical maniacal killer and acted in line with typical film of the genre, we enjoyed Quaid in this performance. I have already stated that being a villain is relatively new for Quaid as he usually is the good old American boy, and it is only in some of his more recent roles that he takes on the role of the antagonist. As the antagonist or villain, Quaid brings forth an intensity that is actually missing in his more comedic or lighter characters; and I think he does it well. As “Charlie”, Quaid effectively portrays a twisted personality in an entertaining fashion. While some of the grimaces and scowls may have been over the top at times, I found that in this film, it actually helped it along. Quaid took a mediocre character and dialogue and made it his own. If it was not for him in this film, I would have turned it off 15 minutes into it. He is the only reason we watched it to its predictable end.
So, with all of the above in mind, were we entertained? Hmmm, sort of. Quaid was pretty good as the bad guy and we enjoyed him in this type of role, and the scenery was great. However, the story was weak and according to formula and the supporting cast did not really stand out for us, but we were entertained enough to watch it till the end. This film is for people who like this sort of “thriller” and are not disappointed with predictable films. Quaid fans will enjoy this as well as he strips his “American boy” persona for that of a demented villain.
Rating: 4.5/10
If you are interested in films and shows from the principal actors, please consider the following recommendations:
Michael Ealy Stumptown, The Good Wife,
Joseph Sikora Boardwalk Empire, Ozark, Jack Reacher
Megan Good Prodigal Son, Californication
Dennis Quaid (Here are some of my favourite films/shows by Dennis Quaid)
Dreamscape, Enemy Mine, The Big Easy, Wyatt Earp, Frequency, Vantage Point, Goliath, Midway
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