Knock at the Cabin

Released Feb 3, 2023

Directed by M. Night Shyamalan

* No Spoilers *

M. Night makes lots of movies and is possibly the most “hit or miss” director out there. You never really know what you’re going to get but this was surprisingly a hit for me. 

The story, based on the novel of the same name, is what it is, you will either hate it or love it, so I wont go into details to avoid spoilers. It’s very on the nose at times and the message is not subtle at all but it works. Even if you don’t like what it's saying, you should be able to appreciate that it is well crafted. 

There is some sub-par dialogue, and towards the end, the movie doesn’t trust the audience to make the connections and instead spells things out with unnecessary exposition. However, the lead up and the way the plot is drip fed to the audience is a great balance of dread and intrigue.

Some awkward line deliveries aside, the majority of the performances were actually better than I expected. Ben Alridge was a bit over the top, Jonathan Groff was fine, and newcomer Kristen Cui performed beyond her age. No one else delivered like Dave Bautista, who is a by far the stand out in this.

The direction is some of the tightest I’ve seen from Shyamalan, using precise framing and clever blocking to create a seamless momentum, harkening back to his older films (Signs, Sixth Sense). There are some seriously beautiful shots in this and those sharp focus shifts are so wonderfully done. The score is also very good and sound design is top notch. Whether its Bautista’s lumbering footsteps or the perfectly placed creaks and cracks of the floor boards.

I was not planning to watch this right away, but I am glad I did. A lot of your enjoyment will be based on if you “buy in” to the story or not. I went in with low expectations and a forgiving eye, so I was pleasantly surprised. If you like Shyamalan’s style (when it works) this is one to watch.

7/10 - Not his best, but certainly not his worst. Still very good.

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