For a movie that topped the chart for popular movies on Netflix, I was unusually curious and thought to give it a watch last weekend. Plus, the eponymous title and thrilling trailer did quite the job at catching my eye. So yeah, I couldn't resist at first sight.
'Lou' is an American action movie directed by Anna Foerster, starring major actors such as Allison Janney (Lou Adell), Jurnee Smollett (Hannah Dawson), Logan Marshall-Green (Philip), Ridley Bateman (Vee Dawson), and Matt Craven (Sheriff Rankin). The Netflix distributed movie 'Lou' was released in September 23, 2022 and with a run time of 1hr 49 mins, the film is supposedly packed with thrills, suspense and plot twists.
Set in a remote island in the 1980s, the movie opens up by introducing us to the eponymous character, Lou. In my view, she appears to be a tough, emotionless loner who hunts deers in the woods and lives in the company of her dog, Jax. Agile but a bit old, Lou suffers arthritis on her wrist in which Sheriff Rankin recommends a copper bracelet that'd help.
As the movie progresses, we're introduced to Hannah Dawson, a single mother who lives with her daughter (Vee) on Lou's property. In the middle of a Hide-and-seek game, Lou stops by to abruptly remind Hannah to pay off her due rent the next day. The distressed expression on Hannah's face shows her hardship in meeting financial needs.
This may seem as a result of the absence of her ex husband (Philip) who is initially thought dead. On the other hand, Philip is revealed as an abusive husband tagged with dubious crimes and has been on the run. He however managed to fake his own death taking Hannah completely off guard to his wrath which she's been hiding from.
On the night of a raging storm, Philip appears in the guise of a hitchhiker who fools Chris (Hannah's friend) into giving him a ride. Philip ends up killing Chris and making his way into Hannah's house to kidnap their daughter, Vee. Crazy right? Why would would a father even think to kidnap his own daughter? Initially, I assumed it was out of desperation to be close to his daughter but instead, it was for some stupid revenge game 🤦.
Anyway, when Hannah finds out about the kidnap, she barges into Lou's house, interrupting her suicide attempt. This had me wondering why 'Lou' the main character would want to kill herself when the movie had barely started. We all know there won't be a 'Lou' if there's no “Lou” (if you get what I mean). Well, turns out that scene is linked with Lou's hidden secrets and past which will later be revealed in the movie.
When Lou is told about the kidnap incident, she spontaneously agrees to help find Vee as it she had found a new purpose to live again. The two then set off on the journey and thanks to Lou's tracking skills, they pick up clues which help them in following Philip. At this point, I'll admit I started losing my patience as I hadn't yet seen the “thrilling action” I earlier watched on the trailer.
However, my impatience soothed when the fight scene between Lou and Philip's men came on. These men were Philip's aids in his scheme and Lou went to their cottage to seek information under the guise of a frail old woman. Her cover blows off when one of the men, Tony suspects her and a fight breaks out afterwards.
I must say, Allison Janney didn't fail to deliver the best of “Lou” with her stage combat prowess. She successfully topples the two armed men and this shocks Hannah that she begins to question Lou who later reveals that she was a retired CIA agent. This revelation begun the unveiling of more hidden truths.
Hidden truths like Lou being the biological mother of Philip who was selfishly abandoned, thereby being the root cause of his broken personality and outrageous actions. I didn't expect that so I'll commend the writers for the unpredictable twist.
The journey of Lou and Hannah in rescuing Vee followed life-threatening risks, struggles, dark secrets, anguish, survival and sacrifices. The most part of the movie literally focuses on the kidnap and the events that follow suit. So, the plot is more or less shallow with very limited characters.
And despite having a happy ending, the movie still leaves me unsatisfied with the suspenseful question as to whether Lou is alive or not. I doubt she died but if she didn't, how then would Lou live her life after transferring all her worth to Hannah? Could there be a possiblity for part 2? Well, I'll leave that to the producers to ponder.
Although equally giving their best and energy to their acting, the roles of both Janney and Jurnee share a striking contrast. In the sense that Lou represents a careless and selfish mother to Philip whereas Hannah represents a selfless and protective mother to her daughter, Vee.
Lou had to make dangerous decisions in her past and she acknowledges her bad parenting. In her words; “Not everybody is meant to be a mother.“
Logan also didn't do bad at portraying the character of Philip; a pathetic sociopath and irresponsible freak who wouldn't give up on exacting his revenge. However, his chapter closes following his tragic end. But nah, I certainly didn't feel much sympathy towards Philip.
Asides all that, the cinematography was cool, great video quality with more of a dark themed effect. I don't see anything special about the soundtracks but they were quite fitting.
Overally, my final reaction to the movie wasn't sensational in any way. Maybe because nothing huge went on in the film. I may have expected too much so the movie didn't exactly meet my expectations. Either way, I don't regret watching it though. But if I'm to give it a rating, I'd give it a 6/10.
Have you also seen the movie? What's your take? Feel free to discuss with me in the comments.
P.S. This is my first post in the community and my first attempt at writing a movie review.
The Lead image was designed by me on Canva while the film image on the photo was gotten from SOURCE
The rest of the photos are screenshots taken from my phone.
THANKS FOR READING! ❤️
