When we first meet Ron (Travis Fimmel) and his girlfriend Dale (Teresa Palmer), it is obvious that they are in some sort of trouble. We are introduced to them at a service station where the situation rapidly deteriorates. The opening scene also demonstrates an odd relationship between the pair. Details on the relationship are added as the film moves forward.
The service station attendant gets into an argument with Ron and accidentally gets a glimpse of a body in the back of Ron's car. Ron produces a shotgun, murders the attendant, and the duo flees. After a close call with a police cruiser, the couple turn off the highway and end up at a remote farm. The farm is overgrown and does not appear to be inhabited. The property owner, Andrew (Stephen Moyer), suffers from agoraphobia and does not go outside.
Ron and Dale are looking for a place to lay low, get a fresh vehicle, ditch the body and hightail it to Thailand. However, when the newscast shows the pair have been identified, Ron realizes that he cannot leave Andrew alive. Andrew offers a proposal to try to save his own life, which ends up buying him time to begin shifting the paradigm. It seems that everyone has secrets, and they are abundant as this situation escalates toward more violence and a bit of sensuality.
Restraint is not particularly original. It is simply a different take on a familiar story. Empowering the weak against a cardboard villain is always an easy story to tell. Weak characters, glib dialogue and predictability detract from this otherwise visually alluring thriller. Writer Dave Warner did a good job of setting up the opening sequence with tension and scant enough information to pique my interest. He then feeds details on the past and even uses some imaginative ideas for conveying parts of the story. It was an odd combination to have a film that managed some suspense although it was predictable and displayed creativity although it was rather one-dimensional in many ways.
I wasn't sure what to make of Fimmel's performance. The film hinges on him coming unhinged. With a drab character, it is hard to fault the actor for lack of dimension. I think Fimmel did a decent job with what he had to work with. I loved him in Vikings and reviewed his most recent film Lean on Pete earlier this month. Palmer was incredibly attractive and showed off more assets than just her ability to act, which was surprisingly palatable. I enjoyed her in the spoof film [Warm Bodies] (https://steemit.com/warmbodies/@coldsteem/warm-bodies-2013-movie-review). Moyer performed like a stage veteran. I liked him in True Blood but wasn't thrilled with the series The Gifted. He added some stability to the scenes he was in.
Restraint received an R rating from the MPAA. The film has a couple of sex scenes that include nudity. There is also a fairly extended scene where Palmer stands in the bathroom naked talking with another character. There wasn't quite full nudity, but it came pretty close. The film had plenty of violence, coarse language and some intense situations, as well. In totality, the nudity and sex scenes were likely the driving force behind the rating. A mid-teen audience or better would be appropriate for this one. This film has a one hour, 34 minute run time.
Restraint wasn't as bad as it could have been. Some elements of the writing salvaged a rather flavorless, redundant script. As a thriller, the film created enough visual tension along with decent acting to overcome some dialogue and character short-comings. If you enjoy thrillers, you will probably agree with me on a 6/10 rating and enjoy this one when you are snowed in. If you aren't particularly a fan of the genre then you won't likely enjoy this film, so I would non-recommend it in that situation.
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