Directed by the late great Wes Craven, we have a psychological thriller that keeps us on edge and everything is set up so seamlessly. The build up of suspense leaves you intrigued and focused on each character, watching as their story progresses. Rachel McAdams plays as Lisa Reisert who works at a hotel, giving her an advantage of being able to read human behavior, but she is also crippled by a traumatic incident that happened to her, leaving her with a physical scar that she does unveil during the film. It shows her weakness, but also shows her strength, but it does hinder her ability to trust her own judgement at times. Lisa has final girl characteristics, I feel was inspired by Sidney Prescott in my opinion, which is someone worth being inspired by if you ask me.
Cillian Murphy plays as Jack Rippner, such a dark character that embodies the perfect villainous character. He knows how to play both sides of the coin very well, knowing when to appear normal then the next second, running at you with a pen in his neck. He has a job to do and knows how to get it done, but he never met someone like Lisa. Lisa is fueled by the fact that she never wants to be a victim again, she refuses to give up this fight. Watching them outsmart one another, it goes back and forth, one being ahead of the other while the other plots their next move, it's a game of who is smarter than who. Jack only knows his job, he kind of lacks human connection, which causes him to be one step behind Lisa.
Brian Cox plays as Lisa's father who is only a pawn to get Lisa to do what Jack needs her to do to get his job done. He is retired, just enjoying his leftover lasagna and comedy cartoons, waiting for his daughter to get home so he can see her. He is the typical worried father who knows Lisa more than herself at times.
The intriguing part of this film is the interaction between Lisa and Jack, Jack being the hunter and presumably Lisa being the prey. But what changes the stakes is that Lisa fights to not be the prey. I love how smart this film is, the characters are observative, allowing the story to flow and keep us on our toes. The best part is when Lisa gets to her father's house and she has to find ways to outsmart Jack. You will enjoy this film, it gets into your head and you're entertained til the very end. So next time you go on a flight, never order a Bay Breeze and never trust a man named Jack Rippner who sounds like Jack the........
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