“No Exit” is the kind of compelling thriller that proves to be better with a surprise than a slow burn, despite trafficking heavily in both. Adapted from the novel by Taylor Adams, the Hulu movie tactfully splatters blood all over the classic premise of a few mysterious strangers holed up in a single location. And while its minimalism can make for a mixed bag of surprises, “Killing Ground” director Damien Power ensures that “No Exit” has enough of his own striking signature.
The centerpiece of this movie is an incredibly physical and emotional thriller performance from Havana Rose Liu as Darby, a woman who enters into his fateful visitor’s center under her own extreme circumstances: she has just broken out of rehab in Sacramento, after hearing that her mother had a brain aneurysm and is in the hospital in Salt Lake City, dying. The weather has other plans for her speedy journey, with a massive snowstorm that forces Darby off the road and into shelter.
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Darby shares the small wood cabin with a handful of other people. For a few significant beats, it all seems truly peaceful. Ed (Dennis Haysbert) and his partner Sandi (Dale Dickey) sit at the table, facilitating cards; Ash (Danny Ramirez) sleeps by a window, resting. Lars (David Rysdahl) sits alone, listening to music, his long hair drooped over his eyes. Everyone gets together under these circumstances to play a card game called “Bullshit,” more or less about calling someone’s bluff. For a movie that can be equally sharp and also obvious, it’s one of the more glaring pieces of foreshadowing. But because of the mood that Power sets, you go along with it, as happens a good deal throughout “No Exit.”
During all of this, there’s a kidnapped girl (Mila Harris) tied up in a van with Nevada plates, a piece of information that Darby becomes aware of not long after her arrival. The reveal of who the kidnapper is when “No Exit” actually starts, and it takes about 30 minutes to get there; making a lot before it seem like a false start. It becomes clear that while the story doesn’t want to pay lip service to Darby’s current experience in rehab, these introductory minutes don’t entirely justify their space—even when the movie has various motifs of being trapped, of being pinned to something, or seemingly not being able to break out.
It’s in this second act too that “No Exit” doesn’t build as much tension as it desires with the information that’s available, as game as Liu is when Darby finds herself caught in the middle of a freaky conspiracy. Part of that comes down to the supporting characters, who don’t always have enough depth, so much as secrets to be revealed. The psychological thrills are a bit nil in this middle, even though they rely on each decision that Darby makes when faced with the safety of the little girl, while also trying to get help from the others. When “No Exit” is about facing off against the villain, or when its stretches of logic are overzealous, it’s a notable drop from the unsettling terror. Some parts in “No Exit” risk taking us out of the movie: while Power and cinematographer Simon Raby are sharp in establishing the full space, it becomes notable whenever it seems like there’s not enough movement on the board.
But the ride proves overall worth it, especially when the film’s tepid slow burn pays off when it explodes into ugly chaos. Its twisty nature makes way for squirm-inducing violence that sometimes hits like a sick joke and shows the larger precision at work here from Power and his crew. The best moments of “No Exit” are when it hurts, when it makes you scared of what another human is capable of. A bracing dollop of violence can go a long way to getting genre fans to remember your movie, and your name, for the next go around. Let’s just say Power nails it. [B-]
“No Exit” is now available on Hulu.