It can be very frustrating when a film comes along that a lot of people start praising, but also advising everyone to see before finding out anything about it. They tell you that there are some good twists and turns, and one or two are even given away in a trailer that should be avoided at all costs. So you end up trusting people you generally tend to share movie opinions with. That worked out well for me with Companion, but it could have been a different story.
Sophie Thatcher is Iris, the titular companion, accompanying Josh (Jack Quaid) for some time away with his friends. There's Kat (Megan Suri), Eli and Patrick (played by Harvey Guillén), and a gregarious Russian named Sergey (Rupert Friend) who made his fortune by getting his hands dirty. This isn't just a cheery get together for some friends though. There's a plan to make themselves quite wealthy. Iris is a very important part of the plan, but she doesn't know that yet.
The first feature written and directed by Drew Hancock, the important thing to clarify about Companion is that, contrary to how some people might have you believe, it's not a horror movie. I know that genre labels are flexible things anyway, and various individuals can have various interpretations, but I wouldn't like people to come away from a viewing of this feeling disappointed just because it ends up being something it never intended to be anyway. This is a subversive neo-noir with a fine vein of dark humour running all the way through it and some sci-fi touches to help it feel a step away from the many other movies it comes closest to. Hancock makes use of some cool tech to move the plot along, and the construction of the screenplay allows him to deftly hop around a number of interesting and timely thematic strands.
All of the cast do great work, but it's worth highlighting Thatcher, Quaid, and Gage, all excelling in different ways. All of them get to present more range than expected, and they all add to the fun and escalating craziness in different ways. And, yes, to say any more than that might spoil things for anyone yet to see the film, which means I have to join the ranks of people being frustratingly vague about the whole thing. Suffice it to say that Thatcher moves from passive to very non-passive, Gage likewise, and Quaid knows how to twist his sweet nature and megawatt smile into the all-too-familiar "nice guy" who genuinely believes that he is a nice guy, even as his actions start to contradict that description.
A film more about the dialogue and ideas than any gorgeous visuals or major set-pieces, although there are a number of shots that are impressively composed, Companion is smart and witty throughout, and it makes great use of some potential near-future tech to put a new coat of paint on some refurbished classic furniture. As long as you're not too squeamish when it comes to the occasional moments of bloodshed, this is fun, fun, fun. And, yes, you should see it before you find out too much about it.
8/10
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