Lou Review: Violence And Redemption In Merciless Nature in Netflix Film
Cast: Allison Janney, Jurnee Smollett, Logan Marshall-Green
Director: Anna Foerster
Streaming Platform: Netflix
Filmyhype.com Ratings: 3.5/5 (three and a half stars) [yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
As we will see in this review by Lou, the dark soul at the center of the new Netflix movie is the character played by Allison Janney, the beating heart of an all-female story starting from its protagonists (in addition to Janney we also find Jurnee Smollett, a mother ready to do anything to save her daughter) to the screenwriter, Maggie Cohn, and the director, Anna Foerster. A mix of talents that on-screen gives life to a story that is halfway between Rambo and Taken – I will find you, which opens in an overwhelming and captivating way, but which is lost in the second half a bit predictable and from the fluctuating pace. However, Allison Janney works particularly well in such an active role, playing the part of a Sarah Connor with a thousand talents but also a thousand secrets, a character who carries the weight of a past that she would like to forget.
We know many stories that tell the path of redemption of a character with a dark past, made ugly by time and trauma, who, by saving someone who is in grave danger, rediscovers himself – and his reason for living. This is a premise particularly used – and perhaps abused – in the thriller and action genre, because it can give way to exciting and very high-tension plots: the redemption of the gruff protagonist occurs when there is an innocent person to save, and the spectator can only feel drawn and involved, waiting for the inevitable happy ending.
Lou Review: The Story
We are in the eighties, on an islet off the coast of Washington state, nature is barren and inclement, especially when the storm season begins. It is with a storm coming that this story opens, as the inhabitants prepare to face the hardships and the forced isolation: Lou (Allison Janney), is a woman now rather than over the years, who lives alone with her dog and who is preparing to end it, crushed by too painful memories; her neighbor Hannah (Jurnee Smollett), on the other hand, is a single mother trying to raise her daughter, Vee, even if her money never seems to be enough. Hannah moved to the island to leave the past behind her, a past marked by the violence of a husband who, fortunately, is gone.
While Lou is preparing the last things to say goodbye to life, something happens at Hannah’s house: a mysterious man sneaks into Vee’s room and kidnaps her, leaving a strange note on the girl’s bed. Hannah runs to ask Lou for help, hoping to call the authorities from her home; the woman, however, is not willing to waste time and, armed to the teeth, she sets off in pursuit and enters the bush – made almost impassable by the rain – followed by Hannah, ready to do anything to find her child. The two women will have to face the wilderness and incessant weather to get closer to Vee, but the more time passes, the more they realize that the mysterious man who kidnapped her may be tied to both of them.
If you look at the example or the plot, you will see that this is a plot that is similar to those of John Wick’s equalizer Nobodies. The protagonist must be a quiet person. live a simple life but there is a reason to stand up and fight to help others or take revenge on something and then reveal that he has the skill of the gods, who is the best, is a former unit, whatever which this matter is no different. But what’s different about this story is that the text has more depth. Chasing, killing, revenge, fighting the villain. about the secret of Lou Mysterious woman living a quiet life not interested in anyone with children, it’s not gentle, it’s not good, it’s not new. Well, we can guess. What must have been a career that was good before? But the story just took the plot to start following the children’s trail to cover the real story, which is much more complicated and larger than what is seen in the trailer. Including a story tie that makes the chapters of all the characters in the story logically fit until the end scene that still leaves the end of the mystery here as well.
Lou Review and Analysis
As we anticipated, Lou opens up in an extremely convincing way, immediately engaging in a well-thought-out plot, dosing the tension very well and teasing the viewer’s curiosity with a series of clues about the dark past of Janney’s character, who shows himself a teacher in the art of survival, the use of weapons and hand-to-hand combat. The mystery linked to the kidnapper of little Vee works as an excellent hook to capture in the vision, when her identity is revealed, the question remains about what her bond with Lou is.
The more the story progresses, however, the more certain problems in the development of the script become evident: in the second half, when the characters play their cards uncovered and all the mysteries are revealed, the film loses some of that initial attraction, continuing into one ” final clash unnecessarily long and dragged. A first part full of tension is then contrasted by a second one with a fluctuating rhythm, which becomes rather predictable and precisely in the final – when in a film of this genre the dramatic climax should be reached – fails to amaze the viewer.
We can only reiterate how convincing Allison Janney is in a role as physical as that of the protagonist. The actress is perfect in the part of a woman with surprising abilities, but she is also able to convey the weight of the years that Lou carries on her shoulders, the increasing fatigue, and arthritis that does not give her peace (and that “on the campo “creates many difficulties for her). Jurnee Smollett also strikes in the role of a desperate mother willing to do anything to bring her little girl home, plagued with guilt for not leaving earlier a man who hurt her but unwilling to make the same mistakes again.
If the female cast works particularly well, the male counterpart, that is the “villain” played by Logan Marshall-Green, does not particularly leave its mark, failing to show the madness and innate perfidy of which – according to others – his character should be characterized. Among the qualities of the film is also the choice of an extremely suggestive setting, an island with a wild and inclement nature that becomes the perfect location to host a chase that puts both sides to the test, both the “good ones” and the “bad ones. “. On the other hand, the temporal collocation in the Eighties was little exploited, whose usefulness seems to be limited to eliminating that technological instrumentation that could help the characters to get away more easily.
Lou’s screenplay, as we have emphasized several times, is not entirely convincing: the good start and – above all the excellent interpretation of Allison Janney – however, in part revive the fate of an otherwise rather flat and not particularly memorable thriller, which could get lost in the meanders of the vast Netflix catalog. Lou is an action thriller with an excellent start, but unfortunately gets lost in the second half with a fluctuating and somewhat predictable pace. Impressive, however, is the interpretation of Allison Janney, in an active role in which we are not used to seeing her.
The villain of the story itself is not a flat, dimensionless character. Conversely, during the film, we see the moment of love of a father who kidnapped his daughter. And many things remain in my heart waiting to be settled with my wife. Which turned out to be the audience who felt pity and sympathy for him as the whole story was revealed as to why he had to kidnap his daughter like this. In addition, Hanna’s mother character seems to be playing the role of a woman who looks useless just following her child and Lu at first. Her role takes on more intensity later when she rises to be the one who has to save the child by herself.
The story centers on her trauma and her husband who physically abused her until she escaped to an island. by being just a passing story but can bring this point back to be useful while driving. and has more resolute intelligence than just being a distraction in the first place. The writer of this script is good at averaging the script for every character to have important scenes. with everyone This is a small movie The scripts are written so well that you must watch that Netflix has evolved in this regard accordingly. This story is another example that is so good that it’s unexpected. And cheer to see, do not miss it.
Lou Review: The Last Words
A small action thriller, John Wick’s plot, the Nobody’s equalizer, is about ordinary people living a quiet life. stand up to fight before revealing who he was in the past, but this story has a tear in the script that is deeper, and more dramatic, and the actors play well. Every character has a human dimension. There is a reason to act Even the main villain of the story looks gray. There is a reason, and the story is well told that it is secretly sympathetic. There are not many action scenes in the story because it is a low-budget movie, with few characters, and not many villains for the heroine to kill. But it can be put in a perfect rhythm on the way. and also use the character’s old age to lure the other party to be reckless and reasonable again Make this story, even if it comes to the protagonist’s style, must be very good according to the formula. But it seems more realistic than anything else. a small movie. The script was written so well that it must be seen that it is a very good development for Netflix lately.
