“Two
brothers, one of whom is trigger-
happy and out of control, have staged
a robbery leaving one man dead. While
fleeing to Mexico they stop at a gas
station where all hell breaks loose in a
shootout; one of them is badly hurt and
in urgent need of medical attention so
they follow a doctor home from a clinic,
threatening his family unless he
operates on the injured brother in the
tense thriller Survive The Night...”
DESPERATE TO ESCAPE ACROSS THE MEXICAN BORDER following a theft that has
led to murder, brothers Jamie (Shea Buckner) and Matthias (Tyler Jon Olson)
Grainger stop at a gas station to refuel their car.
Jamie is recognised, sparking off a shootout which leaves two more people dead
and Matthias seriously injured. Jamie then drives to a clinic where they follow
a doctor, Rich (Chad Michael Murray: One Tree Hill; Riverdale), to his
home and break in.
“A
tense and disturbing
thriller benefiting
from the appearance of
movie star Bruce Willis
and a cast of
sympathetic actors...”
Rich
is a disgraced doctor who lost a patient during an operation and has been reduced
to working on routine treatments at the clinic. He and his wife Jan (Lydia Hall)
have lost their home and, with their vulnerable young daughter Riley (13-year-old
Riley Wolfe Rach), they have moved in with Rich's estranged and critical father
Frank (Bruce Willis), a former hard-line sheriff, and mother Rachel (Jessica
Abrams).
At gunpoint, Jamie forces Rich to operate on Matthias and threatens the family
if he refuses. Despite being nervous about his past failure, Rich has no alternative
other than to comply.
With his family tied up and defenceless, Rich is despondent; but he has not
reckoned on his tough and resilient father. Following one more death, all the
family are in acute danger from the desperate and irrational Jamie who is growing
more and more anxious and unpredictable.
A tense and disturbing thriller benefiting from the appearance of movie star
Bruce Willis and a cast of sympathetic actors, it is a slow burner (not necessarily
a bad thing) but it does leave a few questions unanswered. The car chase is
well-paced. Some gory scenes where we are shown graphically Rich's operation
on Mathias's leg.
Personally, I rate Bruce Willis very highly as an actor and was disappointed
that he was not more of a dominant presence in this movie, showing the guts,
determination and tough-as-nails guy an ex-sheriff is supposed to be in order
to bring down the bad guys — a character type Bruce plays exceptionally
well.
Survive The Night also features: Ravare Elise Rupert as Alice; Jef Holbrook
as The Clerk; Charlie Alvarado as Nurse Carter; Natalie DiDonato as The Clinic
Nurse; and Sara Lynn Holbrook as The Woman.
Music is by Nima Fakhrara; Cinematography by Bryan Koss; Writer is Doug Wolfe;
Produced by Randall Emmett, George Furla, Shaun Sanghani; and Mark Stewart;
and Directed by Matt Eskandari (Trauma Center; 12 Feet Deep) and Live
Free or Die Hard Co-Producer Stephen J Eads.
Survive The Night from Lionsgate UK is available in the UK on Digital
Download now and on DVD on 27 July 2020. Certificate: 15 | Running Time: 80
Minutes Approximately. Extras: Making of Survive The Night | Director and Cast
Interviews.
"A tense and disturbing thriller benefiting from the appearance of movie star
Bruce Willis and a cast of sympathetic actors" —***
Maggie Woods, MotorBar
“Two
brothers, one of whom is trigger-