Review: ‘No Exit’
No Exit is a lean, mean thriller that packs a punch thanks to its breakneck pace and impressive lead performances, particularly from stars Havana Rose Liu and Danny Ramirez.
High-concept micro thrillers that take place in mostly one location used to be all the rage. Films such as Wes Craven‘s Red Eye, Robert Schwentke‘s Flightplan, James Mangold‘s Identity and the like gave audiences the opportunity to turn their brains off in a theater for 90 minutes or so, all while giving well-known actors and movie stars the chance to cut loose and flex their acting chops outside of straightforward dramas and awards bait. However, these days, these types of films barely exist and the ones that do have mostly been relegated to streaming services, resulting in a lack of both quality and star power. No Exit, the feature-length directorial debut of filmmaker Damien Power, however, is a throwback to that era of thrillers in all the best ways.
Based on Taylor Adams‘ 2017 novel of the same, No Exit centers on Darby (Havana Rose Liu), 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, including Sandi (Dale Dickey), her husband Ed (Dennis Haysbert), Ash (Danny Ramirez) and Lars (David Rysdahl). 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.
With a lean 90-minute runtime and tight pacing, No Exit wastes no time in setting up its (admittedly familiar) premise, catapulting its main character into the tumultuous situation she finds herself in. Power has no patience for introductions or niceties, throwing audiences into the ride right alongside her. As a result, it may seem like No Exit tips its hand way too early but viewers needn’t fret; screenwriters Andrew Barrer and Gabriel Ferrari have many more tricks up their sleeves. With many twists, turns and rotations, Barrer and Ferrari constantly subvert audiences’ expectations, boldly going where you least expect them to. As a result, No Exit doesn’t always work; some of the aforementioned twists are incredibly ludicrous and the film’s breakneck pacing may throw audiences for a loop. The main storyline is also incredibly generic, with story beats and plot devices that will feel all too familiar for anyone who has seen a thriller before (despite the many plot twists within).
However, No Exit is strongly elevated by the work of its impressive cast, all of who deliver strong performances across the board. Havana Rose Liu, known for bit parts in films such as last year’s Mayday and Netflix series The Chair, gives what should be a star-making performance as recovering addict Darby, perfectly embodying her desperation with a fierce commitment to the role. Because of the situation she finds herself in, Darby has to feign ignorance for the bulk of the film, and Liu manages to perfectly capture her anguish and confusion through knowing glances and a tense physicality that not many actors are capable of.
The rest of the cast fearlessly dive headfirst into their roles, with David Rysdahl and Dale Dickey, in particular, making a strong impression as the neurotic Lars and the warm Sandi respectively, but it is Danny Ramirez who comes close to stealing the show. Known for his role as the affable and earnest Joaquin Torres in Marvel’s Disney+ series Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Ramirez shows another side of himself as the cool and charismatic Ash. A charming man headed home for the holidays who unwittingly finds himself caught up in a terrible situation, Ash also has a few emotional moments, particularly in the film’s third act, and Ramirez executes those scenes with flying colors, delivering an impressive, emotionally searing performance in the process.
However, while it may have a generic and familiar premise, No Exit is ultimately a lean, mean thriller that packs a punch thanks to its breakneck pace and impressive lead performances, particularly from Havana Rose Liu and Danny Ramirez.
Rating: 3.5/5
No Exit is now streaming on Hulu.