The Intruder (2019) [Blu-Ray]

Director: Deon Taylor

Cast: Michael Ealy, Meagan Good, Dennis Quaid

Release Date: July 30, 2019

A Review By: Kevin Lovell

Film Rating: 6/10
Disc Rating: 8/10

Synopsis:

When a young married couple (Michael Ealy and Meagan Good) buys their dream house in the Napa Valley, they think they have found the perfect home to take their next steps as a family. But when the strangely attached seller (Dennis Quaid) continues to infiltrate their lives, they begin to suspect that he has hidden motivations beyond a quick sale.

‘The Intruder’ tells the tale of a young married couple (Ealy & Good) who can’t resist when a breathtaking home becomes available, swiftly purchasing their “dream home” only to discover upon moving in that the house appears to have come with one unmentioned catch, the previous owner (Quaid) doesn’t seem to have any intention of leaving. Continually arriving at the most peculiar of times and with no care for their privacy, the man’s seemingly innocent troubles and care for his old home soon escalates into dangerous territory as the couple begins to realize that he may be far more dangerous than anticipated, and with sinister intentions for the young couple.

Directed by Deon Taylor (Traffik, Meet The Blacks) and written by David Loughery (Passenger 57, Money Train), Taylor does a more than capable job at the helm of ‘The Intruder’ smoothly guiding along the tension and unease while always taking full advantage of the surroundings at his disposal. The film also owes plenty of credit to the talented folks comprising the cast which includes Michael Ealy (The Perfect Guy), Meagan Good (TV’s Minority Report), Dennis Quaid (A Dog’s Purpose), Joseph Sikora (TV’s Power) and a few others, with the majority offering solid performances in each of their respective roles and therefore allowing this thriller to work as well as it does.

‘The Intruder’ is a fun, tense and occasionally fairly creepy thriller, albeit utilizing a generally by-the-books approach most of the time. Many intended surprises may be anything but shocking due to the familiar pattern in which it tackles much of the suspense and plot expansions along the way, yet it also seems to embrace many of the familiar tactics and tidbits and have some fun with them, even occasionally catching us off guard in its more clever moments. Its strongest asset by far is the breathtaking home in which the majority of the film plays out, offering no shortage of shadowy corners, creepy abandoned areas and of course a direct entrance to sprawling woods right on the property that allows for endless opportunities to taunt the audience. The perfectly unsettling performance by Quaid and the capable portrayals of our other two leads also contribute a great deal in making this one as decent as it is. Even while occasionally getting a tad silly, it tends to hold its own quite well altogether as a capable enough thriller; something that could have gone drastically different if not for the talented cast members and capable guidance of director Deon Taylor. I would encourage fans of the key cast as well as anyone that tends to appreciate a somewhat generic yet no less entertaining thriller to try and give ‘The Intruder’ a chance if possible. It’s by no means a perfect film and lacking in originality, but at the same time does a competent job of executing what it intends to.

Overall, ‘The Intruder’ is a generally solid thriller that benefits from a gorgeous setting and a talented group of actors, along with an engaging and tense premise. It may not have anything notably new or clever to offer viewers but it certainly manages to deliver a capable and thoroughly entertaining ride. ‘The Intruder’ is recommended although it’s probably unnecessary to go out of your way to immediately get your hands on it. Nonetheless it’s a fun little thriller that’s well worth checking out whenever it may be convenient, and should also justify the price of a rental and a couple hours of your time if you’re already looking forward to it, are a fan of any or all of the three leads, or might simply be seeking a fun and thrilling film to relax with one random evening.

VIDEO:

The Blu-ray release of ‘The Intruder’ features a full 1080p High Definition presentation utilizing the film’s original 2.40:1 Cinemascope Aspect Ratio. The video presentation looks great as a whole and provides a sharp and richly detailed presentation from start to finish, with no noticeable faults or troubles to be uncovered along the way. It holds up beautifully even during the various darkly lit moments, never causing anything onscreen to become negatively affected or rendered indiscernible. Overall, this is a wonderful high definition video presentation that should have no trouble pleasing fans and first time viewers alike.

AUDIO:

The Blu-ray release features a 5.1 channel DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack. This multichannel soundtrack offers a crisp, clean and at times quite active audio presentation that frequently takes advantage of all five available channels in order to send music elements, along with nature effects, creepy sounds and more throughout the various speakers when appropriate, and never allowing any dialogue or other audio activity that might be occurring simultaneously to become distorted or rendered inaudible in the process. Overall, this is a solid 5.1 DTS-HD MA soundtrack that sounds consistently great and nicely compliments the onscreen tension and fun.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The Blu-ray release of ‘The Intruder’ includes a few worthwhile extras. Included on the release is an ‘Audio Commentary with Deon Taylor, Roxanne Avent, David Loughery, Meagan Good and Michael Ealy’, in addition to some ‘Deleted and Alternate Scenes’ from the movie including an alternate ending (running approximately 12 minutes in length), along with a ‘Gag Reel’ (running approximately 3 minutes) and a Behind the Scenes Featurette ‘Making A Modern Thriller’ (approximately 12 minutes) which includes interviews/comments with the cast and crew, plus some behind the scenes footage and more.

*Please note that the above images are taken from the Blu-Ray and resized. They will additionally suffer quality loss as a result of .jpg compression. Larger versions of each image can be viewed by clicking on the image. All images and content included on this Blu-Ray release are the property of their respective owners.

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Film Rating: 6/10
Disc Rating: 8/10

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‘The Intruder’ is Now Available to Own on Blu-ray, DVD & Digital from Screen Gems & Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

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You can purchase your copy of ‘The Intruder’ by clicking on the Amazon Cart Icon below!