HAMPTON ROADS, Va. — M. Night Shyamalan has become a pretty polarizing director over the last two decades. Once hailed as a revolutionary talent akin to Spielberg or even Hitchcock, the filmmaker behind "The Sixth Sense" and "Signs" hit a bit of a rough patch starting in 2006 with "Lady in the Water." His 2015 film, "The Visit," signaled a change in direction; Shyamalan began funding his own films, working at a lower budget, and releasing through Universal Pictures. His last four films have performed quite handsomely at the box office, and in general, they've resonated more with audiences. Does M. Night's latest picture, "Knock at the Cabin," continue this career renaissance arc? I think the answer depends on what you bring with you.
Based on the novel "The Cabin at the End of the World," "Knock at the Cabin" has a story that's well-suited to Shyamalan's style. When four cult-like invaders arrive at a cabin in the woods, a married couple and their daughter are told they must make a terrible sacrifice, or the Apocalypse will begin. The film is mostly set within the confines of the cabin as Eric (Jonathan Groff), Andrew (Ben Aldridge), their daughter Wen (Kristen Cui), and the audience too are left to discern the truth behind the ominous, prophetic claims of the trespassers.
Shyamalan is a master of building tension. "Knock at the Cabin" delivers the thrills that audiences expect from the director, who paces the story deliberately with beats of intense distress, followed by reflective scenes where we check in with each character. M. Night has always been character-focused; he smartly keeps humanity at the center of each of his stories, anchoring the audience in emotional realism amidst uncanny plot developments. His camera stays focused on faces in "Knock at the Cabin," often in extreme close-up; a decision that feels oppressively claustrophobic and unsettlingly empathetic.
The film is best when it forces us to stare down the conflicted gaze of Dave Bautista as Leonard, the intruders' leader. Bautista gives the best performance of his career so far as a massive, threatening presence who somehow seems calm and good-natured, even in his most intimidating scenes. It's a complex and subtle performance that bodes well for his future as a dramatic actor.
Unfortunately, subtlety evades Shyamalan in many respects.
His penchant for odd, stilted dialogue is present here, and characters often speak the film's themes aloud in heavy-handed passages. "Knock at the Cabin" attempts to comment on the difficulties faced by gay couples in America, but lacks the vocabulary to do so in any meaningful way. Unintentionally, the film may actually affirm some harmful, outdated tropes about queer relationships in the stories we consume. This is the film's greatest failure, and makes its deflated ending feel even more disappointing.
Ultimately, "Knock at the Cabin" probably won't change your mind about M. Night Shyamalan. Some of his better directorial flourishes do connect to make this a fun, stylish thriller, but those in search of a rewarding story might look to other films in his catalogue.
My rating: 2.5 cabin doorknobs out of 4.
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