Lure review
Mr. Right is hard to find when you’re a wealthy psychopath.
New movie reviews will not contain spoilers.
Lure
Directed by Oliver Cox
Written by Oliver Cox
Starring Silvia Presente, Kit Esuruoso, Joey Lockhart, Paul David-Gough, Gregory Fung, Sammy Elkhatib and Reece Henderson
Lure Review
Lure probably killed as an elevator pitch. It has a simple, saleable and intriguing premise. That premise (and a strong, unique protagonist) keeps the movie afloat for as long as it can. Unfortunately, Lure isn’t able to raise the stakes of the film to match the stakes in its story. It tries to shake things up by switching locations into something a bit more reminiscent of Saw…but it’s still just a group of guys sitting in a room. Even when you change rooms.
I’ve jumped the gun here by skipping over what that premise is. Let’s double back for a second and forget that I did that. Islay (Silvia Presente) is looking for Mr. Right. Her family has a tradition when it comes to such things…and that’s bad news for the six suitors she invites to her estate to (literally) compete for her affection. If some of that sounds like Ready or Not…it only bares a passing resemblance. The games here are more psychological than action oriented. Hence the “group of guys sitting in a room” part from earlier.
Essentially…Islay is going to find out if any of the men are worth marrying. Anyone who isn’t…will be killed. It’s a strong premise made even better by Presente’s performance as the beautiful monster running the game. She’s cold blooded and passionate about finally finding her match. She makes up for the lack of sets and action for a good while. In fact, until Lure starts trying to maneuver itself into an ending…things were going pretty well.
One point in its favor is that Lure doesn’t take the easy way out with its male characters. Yes, some of them admittedly only accepted the invite in hopes of a physical encounter…but they’re mostly, at least, honest about it. It feels like the normal move here would have been to make the men unlikable and have some commentary on how “a good man really is hard to find”. That would have been fun…and Presente certainly could have pulled off the anti-hero cutting the blight out of high society. But this is more interesting. You like most of these guys…and you hate Islay. Lure lets her be a monster even after introducing her as a young woman tired of waiting to find her match.
The “games” played by the six captives range from trying to remember an item Islay wore when they first met to self-mutilation. Punishment for failing the games is violent…and inevitably fatal. The concept carries the first half of Lure pretty well. The movie seems to understand that it needs to shake things up a bit after a while and it tries to freshen up the angle with potential pushback opportunities for the surviving men. It’s fine…but it lacks the dark suspense of the first half of the story. Budget restraints obviously play a role in some of this…but Lure does a commendable job keeping things interesting without the ability to go all out. It does hurt the attempt to elevate the game…but it makes an effort.
There’s a lead male in as much as we are introduced to one before he arrives at the doomed party. Lure sets up just enough backstory for him to let us know it will come back around eventually. Namely, he’s driven to the gathering by his father…who we inevitably see caught up in the trap himself. Lure doesn’t really stick the landing…but it does give the victims some moments to celebrate. Islay’s family is just as depraved as she is…which leaves a few potential targets for any payback attempts.
Overall, Lure uses its interesting concept for some early fun…but inevitably shows cracks when it needs to choose a final direction. A great performance from Silvia Presente helps make Lure a movie you won’t regret watching. But it’s not going to elevate beyond the initial concept…so be prepared for that. If it sounds interesting enough…give it a go. If you’re more interested in where the story ends up…maybe think twice about attending the party.
Scare Value
A solid premise and a strong antagonist make Lure a decent enough watch. Strangely, it’s hampered both by not doing enough…and faltering when it tries to do more. I don’t know what the answer to that is…but I know that Lure is pretty fun when it’s a locked door murder party. There are worse ways to spend your evening. Unless you’re one of the guests at this party, I suppose.
2.5/5
Lure Link
Rent/Buy on VOD from Amazon and Fandango at Home
