August 14th Log

VACANCY
2007, Nimrod Antal, United States
1st Viewing, DVD

After reaching wide acclaim with his international hit debut feature Kontroll, Nimrod Antal returned to America to direct his next film in Hollywood. Vacancy opens with a impressively stylish title sequence before taking us into the car of its lead characters: a troubled married couple who fight with each other about everything. After they experience car problems, they are forced to spend the night at a hotel, which ends up being a place where snuff films are made of those who stay in the rooms. The film is intended to keep you uncomfortable and while it does succeed in that respect, overall Vacancy is nothing more then formulaic. The script is weighed down by the obvious clichés and where as Alfred Hitchcock mastered suspense through minimal techniques, Vacancy piles it on. Like most of these Hollywood thrillers, Vacancy is flawed by its script, particularly in the final act. On the positive side, Kate Beckinsale and Luke Wilson are convincing as the troubled married couple who attempt to survive and unsurprisingly end their divorce plans. This is definitely not a bad film, especially in the more effectively absorbing first half.