Movie Review: Vacancy

Vacancy (2007) 

Directed by Nimrod Atol

Written by Mark L. Smith

Starring Luke Wilson, Kate Beckinsale, Frank Whaley, Ethan Embry

Release Date April 20th, 2007

Published April 19th, 2007 

Who doesn't love a good chase movie? Whether it's a car chase or foot chase, there is a natural visceral reaction to watching a chase. It's automatically involving and if really dangerous, invigorating. Film fans reminisce often about the great car chase in The French Connection and, while many would be loath to admit it, the foot chase of Keanu Reeves chasing Patrick Swayze in Point Break is one hell of a stunt sequence.

The new thriller Vacancy starring Luke Wilson and Kate Beckinsale is one extended chase scene in a limited area with a great pace that leaves little time to catch your breath. Vacancy is a little shallow, not much beyond the chase scenes, but these are some really fun chases.

They should not have gotten off the highway. David Fox (Luke Wilson) and his wife Amy are driving back to L.A after an uncomfortable visit to her parents home. Uncomfortable because they didn't have the heart to tell mom and dad that their marriage is coming to an end. Once they arrive back in Los Angeles they will officially end things.

Getting back to L.A however won't be as easy as they thought. Wanting to get back quickly, David tried to beat heavy highway traffic with a shortcut on some backwoods road. Unfortunately, he can't read a map and soon they are lost. Worse yet, their car is making funny noises. Soon the car is crapped out on the side of the road. The closest service station is closed till the next morning so the couple takes up for the night at the Pinewood Motel, a skeevy little joint that doesn't look like it's had a guest in weeks.

The rooms are infested with cockroaches, the sheets are dirty and TV is broken. That is; except for the VCR which is stacked with tapes. On the tapes are videos that look as if they were shot in the very motel room the couple is occupying but these are no honeymoon night videos, these are snuff films and with cameras in the walls and creeps banging on the doors; David and Amy quickly realize they may be starring in a sequel if they can't find a way out.

Directed by Nimrod Atol, in his first American directorial effort, Vacancy is a chase movie on foot. David and Amy spend much of the film on the run through these little tunnels built beneath the hotel, running from one room to the next and knowing that no matter where they are, they can be seen by the cameras and the bad guys can come in whenever they want. Director Atol takes great advantage of his limited space milking it for tight, claustrophobic close ups that really amp up the tension.

The structure of Vacancy is smart and solid, a great foundation. Act one establishes the characters, act two, the chase begins and act three is even more chasing. Somehow, despite all the running in circles, the film never begins to chase its own tale. The logic is simple, survive or die, the plot needs no more development beyond that simple rationale.

When directors are looking for an actress who can be vulnerable and invulnerable within minutes they look for Kate Beckinsale. The steely star of the Underworld series is underrated as, arguably, the female action star of this decade. She kicks some serious ass in the Underworld movies and in Vacancy she twists from helpless to heedless in a quick emotional burst.

Luke Wilson is the modern day everyman slacker. The everyman of the past was the type of guy you could share a beer with. The new everyman is the kind of guy you could play videogames with before going for some beer and red bull. Wilson. like his protege Vince Vaughn, typifies the modern day everyman with his slacker charm and tousle haired handsomeness.

In Vacancy, Wilson slips his slacker charm in favor of sweat soaked determination. The key to Wilson's performance is that he never slips into action hero mode. There are no sudden bursts of violence, he is not suddenly imbued with the strengths and skills of a navy seal, Wilson's David is just an average guy in a not so average, dangerous situation. His average guy performance gives Vacancy a real, honest suspense. 

Shallow but with a fast pace and two terrific lead performances, Vacancy tells a typical thriller story just a little better than most similar films. Director Nimrod Atol is a little light on the logic but he makes up for it with his style and his quick pacing. Vacancy is not a movie that holds up to much scrutiny and won't stick in the back of your head long after you see it. While it's onscreen however; Vacancy is an exciting, sometimes edge of your seat thriller.

For fans of Wilson and Beckinsale and fans of a good chase thriller, Vacancy is a must see.