Alone - You Can't Escape - DVD

Movie: Jessica (Jules Willcox) is plagued by grief and hopes that she can start a whole new, better life after moving. With all her belongings stowed in a trailer, she sets off on the long drive to her new home. But the journey soon turns into a real nightmare when Jessica overtakes an extremely slow-moving SUV in a risky maneuver. From that point on, the driver (Marc Menchaca) of the car keeps encountering her - and getting creepier by the moment. But what danger she is in, suspects itself only when it is already too late....

"Alone - You Can't Escape", the American remake of the Swedish thriller "Night Hunt - The Time of the Hunter", combines set pieces from films like Steven Spielberg's classic "Duell" and cult thrillers like "Hitcher - The Highway Killer" or "Joyride - Spritztour" into a solid survival thriller. The first half of the film is staged in a rather worn manner. We follow Jessica as she rides into a new life, eavesdropping on a phone conversation with her parents that reveals a bit of the issues the young woman has been dealing with over the past few months. This is followed by the first encounters with the driver of the SUV, which aren't really exciting yet, but which foreshadow bad things to come.

The film doesn't really pick up speed until Jessica lands her car in a ditch. What happens next, of course, should not be explicitly revealed at this point. But her desperate fight for survival has director John Hyams quite rousing staged. Yes, there are quite a few genre clichés, which are being played out here. And the whole thing isn't really original at all. Nevertheless, Hyams knows very well how to continuously tighten the tension screw. The forests of Oregon, where the film was shot in only 21 days, play just as important a role as the story itself.

Towards the end, however, it becomes clear once again how much the production is trapped in common conventions. Thus, despite good moments of suspense, the finale ultimately remains very unsurprising. There would have been two moments in which a surprising twist could have been built in. Unfortunately, Hyams and screenwriter Mattias Olsson (who is also the writer and co-director of the original) miss this chance. So in the end, "Alone - You Can't Escape" is solid average with decent entertainment value, nothing more, nothing less. For a thrilling home cinema evening, however, this is absolutely sufficient - therefore, there is also a satisfied bottom line: worth seeing!

Picture + Sound: Since only a stream was available for viewing, no rating can be given about the final picture and sound quality of the DVD at this point.

Extras: Also the bonus material could not be sighted online. Included on the DVD are a making of featurette (approx. 4:15 min.), a behind-the-scenes look (approx. 8 min.), the trailer and an animated image gallery.

Conclusion: "Alone - You Can't Escape" is a solid survival thriller that combines familiar elements and intriguing dark imagery into a suspenseful whole. The wheel is not reinvented, but those looking for exciting entertainment will definitely be well served here. In addition to the film, the DVD has a few extras on board. All in all, there is a deserved: Recommendable!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp