In the upcoming original Hulu movie, NO EXIT, a young woman becomes stranded in a motorway rest stop during a blizzard and discovers a kidnapped girl in a van. Determined to discover the identity of the kidnapper, she investigates the group of strangers trapped inside with her.
Havana Rose Liu as Darby in 20th Century Studios’ NO EXIT, exclusively on Hulu. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
NO EXIT Review
Bloody hell! NO EXIT is an intensely suspenseful thriller with some savage moments of gore. If horror movies with blood, gore, and brutality are your style, NO EXIT will likely be the movie you’re looking for this season, complete with several face-covering scenes. NO EXIT will successfully have you hiding your eyes and trying to guess how it will turn out with its plot twists.
A scene from 20th Century Studios’ NO EXIT, exclusively on Hulu. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
What Works with NO EXIT Review
While none of the cast is unknown, there are also no superstars, leaving each of the actors to carry their own equally, which they do with flying colors. That color? Red, given the sheer amount of blood and gore this movie pulls off in a short period of time and with limited means as it takes place in essentially one location as the group is stranded at a mountainside visitors center in a snowstorm. The creativity involved in being adeptly brutal and murderous with limited options when under duress is surprising.
During the press junket, Director Damien Power said the film NO EXIT isn’t a film about a character’s journey; it’s a film about how true character is revealed under pressure. What we see with this group of people when they are put under pressure is just that and how desperation pushes people to do terrible things.
Havana Rose Lui‘s Darby is extremely resilient despite her own internal struggles. She’s fierce and intense and determined to save herself and that child no matter the cost.
As Ash, Danny Ramirez really leaned in and owned playing a character who is both charming and incredibly dark, even bordering on psychopathic at moments. Ramirez used his quarantine in New Zealand to get into the right headspace to portray Ash and ran with it. Ramirez’s flawless delivery truly makes you believe he could be the psychopath of your nightmares, which is a far cry from the Joaquin Torres we see in “The Falcon and The Winter Soldier.”
If you thought that the group was in good hands with the All-State guy, you may have thought wrong. However, as always Dennis Haysbert brings his presence and commands the scenes he is in.
Dale Dickey gives another convincing performance as Sandi. Dickey is one of those actors you see everywhere and wonder why you don’t see more of them. As seen in NO EXIT, she’s extremely talented and versatile and I wish Hollywood would acknowledge that.
David Rysdahl is another whose complete transformation offers a compelling performance leaving the viewer stunned.
Overall, NO EXIT is well written with a great plot and excellent twists. It varies enough from the book it is based on that even if you are familiar with the source material, there are still some surprises to keep you entertained.
Havana Rose Liu as Darby in 20th Century Studios’ NO EXIT, exclusively on Hulu. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
What Doesn’t Work with NO EXIT Review
While as a whole NO EXIT is great, there are a few elements that don’t work. The two boggest elements are a bit of lengthy fight scenes with some beyond unrealiztic outcomes (such as solo police approaches and cars spinning out of control for no reason) and a giant *literal* plot hole. I don’t want to spoil it, but you’ll know when you see it. If you can ignore the plot hole especially, it wraps together pretty nicely.
Havana Rose Liu as Darby in 20th Century Studios’ NO EXIT, exclusively on Hulu. Photo by Kirsty Griffin. ©2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
About No Exit
Hulu’s suspense/thriller NO EXIT is the story of Darby Thorne, a young woman en route to a family emergency who is stranded by a blizzard and forced to find shelter at a highway rest area with a group of strangers. When she stumbles across an abducted girl in a van in the parking lot, it sets her on a terrifying life-or-death struggle to discover who among them is the kidnapper. Directed by Damien Power (“Killing Ground”) from a screenplay by Andrew Barrer & Gabriel Ferrari (“Ant-Man and the Wasp”) based on Taylor Adams’ 2017 novel and produced by PGA Award winner Scott Frank (“The Queen’s Gambit”), the film stars Havana Rose Liu (“Mayday”), Danny Ramirez (“The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” “Top Gun: Maverick”), David Rysdahl (“Nine Days”), Mila Harris (“Young Dylan”) and Dennis Haysbert (“Breakthrough”).
NO EXIT will debut February 25 exclusively as a Hulu Original in the U.S. and internationally as an Original on Disney+ under the Star banner and Star+ in Latin America.
Rating: R (for strong violence, language, and some drug content)
Runtime: TBD
Director: Damien Power
Editor: Andy Canny
Screenplay: Andrew Barrer and Gabriel Ferrari
Producer: Scott Frank
Adapted from: No Exit book by Taylor Adams
Cast: Danny Ramirez; Dennis Haysbert; Havana Rose Liu; Mila Harris; David Rysdahl; Dale Dickey
Production company: 20th Century Studios
NO EXIT is now streaming on Hulu.
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