The Host

Greetings again from the darkness. The success of Ryan Murphy's "American Horror Story" has inspired many writers and filmmakers to dive headfirst into the genre. The results have been mixed - some really creative works, and some ho-hum copycats. What has been interesting to watch is the genre-bending (or stretching) when what traditionally would have been a suspenseful drama or thriller, has elements of horror added to spice things up. That's my best lead-in for director Andy Newbery's film based on a story by Laurence Lamers, and adapted for the screen by Lamers, Finola Geraghty, Brenda Bishop, and Zachary Weckstein.

Sixty years ago this would have fit right in as an episode on "Alfred Hitchcock Presents", even down to the bookend therapy sessions led by the fine British actor Derek Jacobi as Dr. Hobson. He tells his patient (whose face we don't see) that his is "an unusual and disturbing case." We then 'see' the story unfold ... or maybe unravel is a better description. Robert Atkinson (played by Mike Beckingham, younger brother of Simon Pegg) is a bank employee enjoying a lunch break tryst with a beautiful woman. Sarah (Margo Stilley, 9 SONGS) just so happens to be married to Robert's boss, and she clearly has only one use for Robert since he has no money and his life is a mess.

It's not long before we discover Robert has many vices: gambling, smoking, drinking, and of course, romping with married women. In a moment that can be attributed to a desperate attempt to legitimize his existence, Robert nabs a 50,000 pound cash deposit from a new bank customer and promptly heads over to his favorite gambling hall. Things don't go well, and dumb-as-a-rock Robert is soon cutting a deal with Chinese cartel leader Lau (played by the always reliable Togo Igawa).

Robert's deal sends him to Amsterdam, a city where many things can go wrong - and often do. Local resident Vera Tribbe (Maryam Houssouni) offers Robert a room in her mansion, and, as we expected, things don't go well for him. Both the cartel and Robert's brother Steve (musician Dougie Poynter) are on the trail to find out what happened to Robert. DEA Agent Herbert Summers (played by Nigel Barber and his silky voice) is also involved, and what we find is a whole bunch of 'nothing good' thanks to the creepy rich Tribbe family,

Familiar faces pop up throughout the film, yet it's difficult to buy into the sense of dread when most of the characters are making the kind of dumb decisions that Geico riffed in their commercial about 'the running car' and hiding behind the chainsaws. The lessons are pretty simple. Don't steal money. Don't sleep with your boss' spouse. Don't agree to run an errand for the Chinese cartel ... or any other cartel flavor. Only if you can overlook the cluelessness of the characters will you find some entertainment value here.