If you woke up one day in a bunker and somebody told you that everything and everyone outside was dead, would you believe them? How about if you thought this somebody who told you was a psychopath who abducted you? You probably would find it hard to believe. "10 Cloverfield Lane" sets up a similar scenario, and it explores the murky area between truth and lies with an expertly crafted script and superb acting.
"10 Cloverfield Lane" is directed by newcomer director, Dan Trachtenberg, and stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead who plays Michelle, a young woman finds herself in a predicament similar to the one described above. Winstead shines in this role. The emotions are written all over her face, even when restrained. She brings a warmth and intelligence to her character, which only supplements that which is written in the script. It's great to see a female heroine in a thriller who is not stupid for once. Michelle is smart, calculative, and you better believe she's not about to take anybody's crap.
Howard, Michelle's captor (or savior, depending on how you look at the situation) is played by John Goodman. Goodman is deliciously deceptive, so much so that the audience is left wondering by the movie's conclusion what Howard's intentions for Michelle really are. Goodman winds the tension into knots, as not only Michelle but we, the audience, are left fearing for our safety.
Perhaps the best word to describe "10 Cloverfield Lane" is "refreshing." It's nice to walk into a movie nowadays and not know what to expect. The marketing for this film was excellent. The making of this film was kept under wraps until January with the release of the first teaser trailer. Before that, nobody even knew it was in production. And the trailer did a great job at generating excitement, without giving away much detail as to what the film was about, something that many trailers suffer to do.
Another reason I bill this movie as "refreshing" is become it is relatively small in scale in comparison to its predecessor, "Cloverfield." As a sequel, "10 Cloverfield Lane" all but proves that bigger isn't always better. I would argue that the film is even more tense than "Cloverfield," even with its budget constraints.
Without a doubt, Dan Trachtenberg, the man at the helm of this project, has a lot of good things in store for his future as a director. He makes the best of his limited budget and delivers a powerful punch (better yet, that the punches are willfully withheld from us until the end of the film).
Overall, "10 Cloverfield Lane" delivers a suspenseful thriller that lives up to its predecessor's name. It's well-acted, well-written, and well-directed, something you can't say about all thrillers in the movie industry nowadays.
