I have a couple of questions after watching The Loft. The first one is why some people don't like this movie? If you wanted to watch a mystery thriller then this is what you got. There's no way in hell you could see the end coming. That's what makes a mystery thriller standing out from the rest. A good story with some twists you don't see coming. My second question is why do we need to remake a movie that has been made before and even better? I saw the Belgian version of 2008 before and even if it is the exact copy of this version the original was even better. So why spending all that money on a movie that already exists? Just put some subtitles under the Belgian version and you got an even better movie. Saves you money and time. And if you watched this version of The Loft to see Matthias Schoenaerts play in it than you could have watched the original version as well because he plays in both movies. That must be a premiere I think. Anyways, even though I preferred the original version I still think this one was also good. Good story with good twists and with a good cast. What else do you want on a movie night?
129 Reviews
Silly but entertaining puzzle
NonkelJulien17 October 2014
Having seen the original movie 'Loft' by Erik Van Looy (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0926762/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1), I was hoping for a fresh take. But a fresh take is obviously not why they hired the same Van Looy to direct this version. This is essentially the same movie, just without subtitles.
In short, the building blocks of 'The Loft' are a set of plot twists. They are mostly silly, suffering from a few red herrings that hurt the story's credibility, but it's still entertaining to watch them unfold. Largely because the movie flows well for the most part, with only a few dull moments in the first half.
Although I preferred the exterior design of the original loft, the overall cinematography of 'The Loft' feels a little warmer and more comfortable. Only a little though, because the characters in it are stone cold. James Marsden is the warmest character in the frame, but like everybody else he doesn't get enough to work with to make for a convincing character that the audience can identify with. The characters are The Loft's biggest flaw (as they were in the original), which is especially disappointing since making you care about characters has often been a strong and successful focus in Bart de Pauw's earlier scripts. There are just too many of them, and as a consequence most of the dialog in the back story scenes is expositional and feels awkward. There's never an opportunity for development. The characters are just there to lead you from one twist to the next.
The overall acting suffers as a result. Strangely I felt that Rhona Mitra, with barely any screen time, delivers one of the better performances, with obvious anger below her coldness, yet just enough restrain. Wentworth Miller does what he does best. He doesn't seem to care much, but still feels like a good fit, even with the little information we get for his character. Matthias Schoenaerts' presence is undeniable. But as a guy who seems to be on edge pretty much all the time, his marriage seems plainly unlikely, and his past couldn't be revealed more clumsily. Still, he's a welcome contrast to the otherwise held back main cast. It's a pity that he was clearly suffering from sickness or fatigue in a few scenes, where it's blatantly obvious how much he had to strain his voice. It's arguably suiting his character, but it's still distracting.
The concept of this story lends itself to a much darker movie, and this just feels like a missed opportunity. I can't help but wonder how this would've worked as a film noir. You have five characters that could easily be despicable and instantly more interesting, and the women couldn't be more fatale. Of course, film noir doesn't sell anymore, so instead we get a bright and shiny thriller that doesn't thrill, that keeps you guessing, but doesn't make you ask questions. It deals with edgy themes, but it barely skims them and focuses on polish instead.
7/10. It's definitely an enjoyable watch, but only for people who're into the whole whodunit thing. Not if you're looking for anything more. It's successful at what it is and doesn't pretend to be anything else, but I can't help but sense the potential for something more.
In short, the building blocks of 'The Loft' are a set of plot twists. They are mostly silly, suffering from a few red herrings that hurt the story's credibility, but it's still entertaining to watch them unfold. Largely because the movie flows well for the most part, with only a few dull moments in the first half.
Although I preferred the exterior design of the original loft, the overall cinematography of 'The Loft' feels a little warmer and more comfortable. Only a little though, because the characters in it are stone cold. James Marsden is the warmest character in the frame, but like everybody else he doesn't get enough to work with to make for a convincing character that the audience can identify with. The characters are The Loft's biggest flaw (as they were in the original), which is especially disappointing since making you care about characters has often been a strong and successful focus in Bart de Pauw's earlier scripts. There are just too many of them, and as a consequence most of the dialog in the back story scenes is expositional and feels awkward. There's never an opportunity for development. The characters are just there to lead you from one twist to the next.
The overall acting suffers as a result. Strangely I felt that Rhona Mitra, with barely any screen time, delivers one of the better performances, with obvious anger below her coldness, yet just enough restrain. Wentworth Miller does what he does best. He doesn't seem to care much, but still feels like a good fit, even with the little information we get for his character. Matthias Schoenaerts' presence is undeniable. But as a guy who seems to be on edge pretty much all the time, his marriage seems plainly unlikely, and his past couldn't be revealed more clumsily. Still, he's a welcome contrast to the otherwise held back main cast. It's a pity that he was clearly suffering from sickness or fatigue in a few scenes, where it's blatantly obvious how much he had to strain his voice. It's arguably suiting his character, but it's still distracting.
The concept of this story lends itself to a much darker movie, and this just feels like a missed opportunity. I can't help but wonder how this would've worked as a film noir. You have five characters that could easily be despicable and instantly more interesting, and the women couldn't be more fatale. Of course, film noir doesn't sell anymore, so instead we get a bright and shiny thriller that doesn't thrill, that keeps you guessing, but doesn't make you ask questions. It deals with edgy themes, but it barely skims them and focuses on polish instead.
7/10. It's definitely an enjoyable watch, but only for people who're into the whole whodunit thing. Not if you're looking for anything more. It's successful at what it is and doesn't pretend to be anything else, but I can't help but sense the potential for something more.
Like a cheap Rubik's cube
drownsoda903 February 2015
"The Loft" is a remake of a Belgian film, and focuses on five married men who go in on a ritzy high rise loft for the purposes of pursuing their affairs and sexual escapades. When a girl winds up dead in a pool of blood in the loft, the five men panic as they attempt to unravel who she is and where she came from.
Taking some cues from Hitchcock (and not exactly with a fraction of Hitch's poise), "The Loft" is an overall entertaining film, but the script at times is the equivalent of a cheap Rubik's cube— it looks fine, it's a fun puzzle, I guess, but it's really just not that impressive overall.
The film shifts between past and present, unraveling the narrative through flashbacks which are sandwiched between the current dilemma of the four men arguing in the loft over the corpse of the dead blonde. The pacing is a bit choppy, and the transitions rather abrupt. James Marsden and Wentworth Miller are among the film's greatest star power here, but the cast overall is really underwhelming, and the performances are at times borderline campy as the men play up their roles as buffoonish plutocratic mattress hounds.
The finale cements my feelings of the film as an underwhelming thriller that seems more suited for television than the silver screen, but I still can't say it was totally not worth the time. In spite of the hammy performances, the disjointed narrative, and the overall sensibility of utter lifelessness that the film has, it is still by and large an entertaining flick. Nearly impossible to take seriously, but for entertainment's sake, it's passable. 5/10.
Taking some cues from Hitchcock (and not exactly with a fraction of Hitch's poise), "The Loft" is an overall entertaining film, but the script at times is the equivalent of a cheap Rubik's cube— it looks fine, it's a fun puzzle, I guess, but it's really just not that impressive overall.
The film shifts between past and present, unraveling the narrative through flashbacks which are sandwiched between the current dilemma of the four men arguing in the loft over the corpse of the dead blonde. The pacing is a bit choppy, and the transitions rather abrupt. James Marsden and Wentworth Miller are among the film's greatest star power here, but the cast overall is really underwhelming, and the performances are at times borderline campy as the men play up their roles as buffoonish plutocratic mattress hounds.
The finale cements my feelings of the film as an underwhelming thriller that seems more suited for television than the silver screen, but I still can't say it was totally not worth the time. In spite of the hammy performances, the disjointed narrative, and the overall sensibility of utter lifelessness that the film has, it is still by and large an entertaining flick. Nearly impossible to take seriously, but for entertainment's sake, it's passable. 5/10.
A Big Game Of Cluedo
SushiStoner10321 February 2015
The Loft is a murder mystery, directed by Erik Van Looy who also happened to direct the original Belgium film (loft) 2008. This remake follows the same story of five uncommitted husbands who struggle to sustain a relationship and to keep it in their pants. They are conveniently given access to a secret love dungeon where they can seek their mistresses and cheat on their wives. Shortly after somebody is "murdered" in the loft, the five begin to suspect each other and from there on the over complex CSI episode arises.
Ill start off praising the positives, since the film did have potential. The cinematography is miraculous. The unique sense of direction makes every shot look great. The script is somewhat lethargic but thankfully the "majority" of the cast pull it off. Each character was evenly distributed and explored, creating fairly interesting protagonists and slight emotional attachment. The score raised tension when necessary and kept me guessing on the edge of my seat. But after the 100th twist, the suspense and fascination quickly dissolved. The loft has simply out smarted itself, a simple, yet at times intriguing plot desperately seeks for every twist and turn it can find and uses them, I don't even think M. Night Shyamalan could've handled it. Things started to drag and seem all over the place. It is one big puzzle with one too many pieces. Overall a fun, entertaining sexual thriller. Nothing more, nothing less.
Ill start off praising the positives, since the film did have potential. The cinematography is miraculous. The unique sense of direction makes every shot look great. The script is somewhat lethargic but thankfully the "majority" of the cast pull it off. Each character was evenly distributed and explored, creating fairly interesting protagonists and slight emotional attachment. The score raised tension when necessary and kept me guessing on the edge of my seat. But after the 100th twist, the suspense and fascination quickly dissolved. The loft has simply out smarted itself, a simple, yet at times intriguing plot desperately seeks for every twist and turn it can find and uses them, I don't even think M. Night Shyamalan could've handled it. Things started to drag and seem all over the place. It is one big puzzle with one too many pieces. Overall a fun, entertaining sexual thriller. Nothing more, nothing less.
The plot is fine,, honestly there were more than a couple of thrilling moments .. well at least i think it went better than what i'v read here in the reviews before.
Aktham_Tashtush22 May 2015
The movie started nicely,, with flipping between the moment of now in the investigation room and the moment where they found the body in the loft and the one year and between flashbacks .. Even though it had five different stories it was actually easily understandable.
The Idea of the movie is fresh and new for Hollywood and the plot flows smoothly in the first half an hour of the movie there are no much puzzles to think about but who really between those five guys did it !! until you start to think maybe it's one of the guys mistresses. then you jump to accuse everyone who speaks Latin, then everyone becomes a killer in your eyes :D .
So to be fair the screenplay writing appears so tight and consistent .. with just a couple of unexpected surprise in the end ;)
With the same director as the Belgian version of the movie Erik Van Looy and pretty much the same writers i'v heard they kept it just as it went in the original. Even though i kinda preferred to watch the original movie because the originals always better but i mean who can stand almost 2 hours of translated Dutch movie !! :P
As for the cast, the Leads whom i only know from TV they were all engaging and well invested in their roles, Karl Urban, James Marsden, Wentworth Miller and Eric Stonestreet and even the short appearances of Matthias Schoenaerts who was actually in the original Belgian movie "Loft (2008)".
Overall it went fine,, well at least let's say better than what i'v read in some reviews .
The Idea of the movie is fresh and new for Hollywood and the plot flows smoothly in the first half an hour of the movie there are no much puzzles to think about but who really between those five guys did it !! until you start to think maybe it's one of the guys mistresses. then you jump to accuse everyone who speaks Latin, then everyone becomes a killer in your eyes :D .
So to be fair the screenplay writing appears so tight and consistent .. with just a couple of unexpected surprise in the end ;)
With the same director as the Belgian version of the movie Erik Van Looy and pretty much the same writers i'v heard they kept it just as it went in the original. Even though i kinda preferred to watch the original movie because the originals always better but i mean who can stand almost 2 hours of translated Dutch movie !! :P
As for the cast, the Leads whom i only know from TV they were all engaging and well invested in their roles, Karl Urban, James Marsden, Wentworth Miller and Eric Stonestreet and even the short appearances of Matthias Schoenaerts who was actually in the original Belgian movie "Loft (2008)".
Overall it went fine,, well at least let's say better than what i'v read in some reviews .
Convoluted mess of an erotic thriller
lnvicta3 May 2015
The only reason I knew this movie existed is because I was looking up what Eric Stonestreet had done aside from Modern Family, so I decided to give this a shot. The premise of the movie is the best part about it: Five guys have the keys to a secret loft where they can freely cheat on their wives, but one day they find a dead girl on the bed and have to figure out who did it. To this movie's credit, the first half is engaging and curious. They develop some shady history between the guys and show how the loft came to be, but as pieces of the puzzle start coming together and the more answers we get, the more the movie suffers. I mean I've seen botched premises before but The Loft takes it to a new low.
The five leads in this movie do what they can. They are likable actors and they have some moments of conviction here and there, but the script is so horrendous it's astonishing that they can keep a straight face delivering these lines. Wentworth Miller is the weak link, and I don't know if it's his fault or his character just being really weird and uncomfortable but that's another thing: you don't like any of these characters. They're all despicable, cheating, lying, douchebags that are only friends because they all have those sh*tty traits in common. And I use the term "friends" loosely because these guys seem to hate each other as much as the audience does. Half the time they're yelling and arguing at each other, the other half they're just dull and plodding along with the script. It's sad because you want to like these guys but they really are just sociopathic dickheads. Honestly the only one with a conscious is James Marsden's character but even then still he's a deceiving slimeball. However the cokehead brother completely embraces the psychosis angle and gives a very nice standout performance considering the material he was given.
The women in this movie are horrendous. There is not one memorable female character - they're all either stupid and married to these guys or stupid and f*cking them behind their wives' backs. It's hard to care about a movie where every character is totally unlikable.
Like I said, the first half of the movie is very promising. The pacing was appropriate, it was easy to follow what was going on, it gave you time to become invested in the mystery, then all of a sudden things get crazy. Like unbelievable, ridiculous, stupid levels of crazy. First of all there are like six endings to the movie; it goes on for a good 10-20 more minutes than it should, and the worst part is that each "ending" is worse than the last. They try over-explaining what happened and it ends up getting so twisted and convoluted that it collapses onto itself. At a point you just stop caring about who did what - you just want the damn movie to end. The entire third act is a disaster in every conceivable way.
This movie was watchable, mainly because of the cast, but the ending is so frustrating I had to give it a low score. I really tried to like it, it's just hard to care about a movie when you're just watching a bunch of stupid people do stupid things. And the police interrogation scenes were atrocious.
If you don't care about plot and just want to see a bunch of good looking people act like complete jerks for an hour and a half, you can get a kick out of The Loft. If you want a thrilling murder mystery that makes you think, stay far far away - The Loft does not deliver.
The five leads in this movie do what they can. They are likable actors and they have some moments of conviction here and there, but the script is so horrendous it's astonishing that they can keep a straight face delivering these lines. Wentworth Miller is the weak link, and I don't know if it's his fault or his character just being really weird and uncomfortable but that's another thing: you don't like any of these characters. They're all despicable, cheating, lying, douchebags that are only friends because they all have those sh*tty traits in common. And I use the term "friends" loosely because these guys seem to hate each other as much as the audience does. Half the time they're yelling and arguing at each other, the other half they're just dull and plodding along with the script. It's sad because you want to like these guys but they really are just sociopathic dickheads. Honestly the only one with a conscious is James Marsden's character but even then still he's a deceiving slimeball. However the cokehead brother completely embraces the psychosis angle and gives a very nice standout performance considering the material he was given.
The women in this movie are horrendous. There is not one memorable female character - they're all either stupid and married to these guys or stupid and f*cking them behind their wives' backs. It's hard to care about a movie where every character is totally unlikable.
Like I said, the first half of the movie is very promising. The pacing was appropriate, it was easy to follow what was going on, it gave you time to become invested in the mystery, then all of a sudden things get crazy. Like unbelievable, ridiculous, stupid levels of crazy. First of all there are like six endings to the movie; it goes on for a good 10-20 more minutes than it should, and the worst part is that each "ending" is worse than the last. They try over-explaining what happened and it ends up getting so twisted and convoluted that it collapses onto itself. At a point you just stop caring about who did what - you just want the damn movie to end. The entire third act is a disaster in every conceivable way.
This movie was watchable, mainly because of the cast, but the ending is so frustrating I had to give it a low score. I really tried to like it, it's just hard to care about a movie when you're just watching a bunch of stupid people do stupid things. And the police interrogation scenes were atrocious.
If you don't care about plot and just want to see a bunch of good looking people act like complete jerks for an hour and a half, you can get a kick out of The Loft. If you want a thrilling murder mystery that makes you think, stay far far away - The Loft does not deliver.
A box office flop, especially with critics, and yet..
DBLurker5 July 2017
.. a movie that's far more entertaining than most of the crap produced these days.
Really nice acting, cringe-worthy characters (in a good way) played by talented & believable actors with a nice suspenseful/thrilling plot. I honestly thought I would hate it when I started watching it on BluRay, but wow, I sat through it all without even taking a bathroom break.
Not going to spoil anything, except for the fact that this movie is another reason why the so called "critics" should not be listened to.
Oh and watch it with your wife for the best experience.
Really nice acting, cringe-worthy characters (in a good way) played by talented & believable actors with a nice suspenseful/thrilling plot. I honestly thought I would hate it when I started watching it on BluRay, but wow, I sat through it all without even taking a bathroom break.
Not going to spoil anything, except for the fact that this movie is another reason why the so called "critics" should not be listened to.
Oh and watch it with your wife for the best experience.
1-900-HOE-NOMO
refinedsugar29 November 2023
There's one big problem with 'The Loft'. It isn't the sordid sexual storyline, the lies, betrayals - it's the contrived nature. This film has a cast of characters in a race to the bottom to be more unlikable than the last but it could have worked in its favor. Instead no restrain was shown & the many twist & turns near the end wear you out.
Four men (James Marsden, Matthias Schoenaerts, Eric Stonestreet & Wentworth Miller) are invited to a party for a nearly finished upscale condo building by their architect friend (Karl Urban) who designed the place. He reveals a unit that all of the married men will co-own when it's done as a "safe" space to bring ladies, flings, etc. Seems like a novel idea and all goes well until a murdered woman is found in bed. Now the race is on for both this group of men & the police to figure out who was responsible. As friendships unravel, lies are brought to the surface & all the cheating is at risk of being exposed.
Sex & murder are always breeding grounds for plot & atmosphere, but 'The Loft' thinks the more twists the better. Points go to the fantasy & sexual primal urges and a good cast. They don't skimp on consequences, but this tale of best friends & their individual downfalls isn't as entertaining as it could have been.
Four men (James Marsden, Matthias Schoenaerts, Eric Stonestreet & Wentworth Miller) are invited to a party for a nearly finished upscale condo building by their architect friend (Karl Urban) who designed the place. He reveals a unit that all of the married men will co-own when it's done as a "safe" space to bring ladies, flings, etc. Seems like a novel idea and all goes well until a murdered woman is found in bed. Now the race is on for both this group of men & the police to figure out who was responsible. As friendships unravel, lies are brought to the surface & all the cheating is at risk of being exposed.
Sex & murder are always breeding grounds for plot & atmosphere, but 'The Loft' thinks the more twists the better. Points go to the fantasy & sexual primal urges and a good cast. They don't skimp on consequences, but this tale of best friends & their individual downfalls isn't as entertaining as it could have been.
Satisfying
courtherbst26 March 2018
It confuses me why some great movies like this have subpar ratings and others are completely overrated. Of all the boring Saturday movies I've watched on Netflix, this one remains my favorite. It's best to go into this movie knowing as little as possible. If you love thrillers and "who did it" type movies, this will be a satisfying movie to you. I've read some complaints about the ending, but I disagree. The ending was fairly realistic, and that made it satisfying to me. It's not an Oscar worthy movie, but it's a good guilty pleasure movie, especially for a Netflix day.
The first guilty pleasure of 2015
trublu21530 January 2015
The Loft centers on five married men as they share a loft for their various extramarital affairs. But when a body is found in a pool of blood on the bed, the five friends must band together and figure out which one of them is the killer. Directed by Eric Von Looy, The Loft is a sleazy and, at times, incoherent mystery thriller that is paced very well and stands out as one of the first possible guilty pleasures of 2015. To start off, this is a movie that has very little substance, gives just enough to keep you interested and captivates you by making you ask yourself, just how ridiculous can this film get? The answer, very. But that doesn't mean you can't enjoy it for what it is. Starring Karl Urban, James Marsden, Wentworth Miller, Mathias Schoenaerts, and Eric Stonestreet, the cast has very little to work with here in regards of a script but manage to pull off some decent performances considering the circumstances. The real standout here is Schoenaerts who plays the volatile Philip, younger brother to Marsden's Chris. While the rest of the cast seems to sleepwalk through roles each have played dozens of times, Schoenaerts' performance seems to be the strongest and most passionate. He makes for a very electrifying watch whenever he's on screen. The screenplay, adapted from the original Belgium film, also done by Looy, is a mess. It has terrible dialog, to which the actors actually make sound not half bad but when you break it down, it is nowhere near as strong as it should be. Another thing that is just as weak are the characters, while some are well rounded and thought provoking, some just seem like stand ins. When a film like The Loft comes around, characters should be the most important aspect of it. But, as it turns out, The Loft isn't as strong as it should be and it really hampers some of the better plot vehicles that are devised here. The direction from Looy is efficient and very well done in regards to delivering a Hitchcock inspired film like this, the angles are out of the box and that really makes for an intoxicating watch. While Looy may show his maverick style visually, conceptually, the film feels more on the level of a midnight feature which is probably where it will end up. Overall, The Loft isn't a bad way to spend a rainy day but for those looking for something more than your average thriller will walk away disappointed.
Bombastically overdone and unsubtle... but I rather loved it.
kitellis-9812110 July 2018
A strange but thoroughly enjoyable film. Almost everything about this quirky, old-style thriller is overdone - especially the music, which is excellent, symphonic, and hilariously brash, booming and thundering through every scene.
The respectable ensemble cast chew enthusiastically on the scenery while barking out overwritten, melodramatic dialogue and simultaneously maintaining straight faces throughout. No mean feat.
The superb, classy, and heavily stylised lighting is a master class in noir-esque cinematography, unsubtly complimented with intensely over-the-top rain effects.
Nothing about this film is subtle or underplayed. And it doesn't need to be. It's pure fun, escapism, and self-indulgence, with stylistic nods to movies of a bygone age. I liked it a lot, and was even surprised at the end by who "done" it, and that doesn't happen often!
The respectable ensemble cast chew enthusiastically on the scenery while barking out overwritten, melodramatic dialogue and simultaneously maintaining straight faces throughout. No mean feat.
The superb, classy, and heavily stylised lighting is a master class in noir-esque cinematography, unsubtly complimented with intensely over-the-top rain effects.
Nothing about this film is subtle or underplayed. And it doesn't need to be. It's pure fun, escapism, and self-indulgence, with stylistic nods to movies of a bygone age. I liked it a lot, and was even surprised at the end by who "done" it, and that doesn't happen often!
Thriller with a twist
davispittman17 January 2017
The loft is a mind boggling thriller about five men who share a loft, where they will sometimes take women up there and cheat on their wives. One thing I'd like to say is that I got angry a lot throughout this movie just because of the animal like behavior of the sick men in this movie. There are like 2 characters in this movie that are clean and not adulterous, lying, cheating filthy people. Having that said, I liked the casting and I thought that every actor did their best to represent their role. James Marsden, Wentworth Miller, Karl urban, and Eric stonestreet all did a pretty good job. This thriller does have a somewhat surprising twist ending, which I always love and then just when you think you have everything all figured out, something else surprising occurs. I also don't think the movie was too short or too long, I think it had a suitable runtime. If you like entertaining mind boggling thrillers, then the loft is for you. It certainly could've been better, but I don't think it deserves all the hate that it's gotten. 7/10 for The Loft.
Unworry of an international incident
StevePulaski25 June 2015
We have five men, all approaching middle-age and hungering for their inconsequential days of drinking and screwing anything in sight. They are Vince (Karl Urban), a married architect, Luke (Wentworth Miller), a married diabetic who finds himself going along with his friends more often than not, Chris (James Marsden), a married psychiatrist, Marty (Eric Stonestreet), a married, loudmouth alcoholic, and Phillip (Matthias Schoenaerts), Chris's married half-brother. In efforts to try and replicate those days, Vince gives each of his pals a key to a loft in a building he designed. There are only five keys made for this particular room, which mimics the design of a lavish presidential suite. Here, the men can unleash their wildest fantasies and never worry about getting caught. It isn't until Luke ventures up to the loft to find a nude woman murdered and handcuffed to the bed of the loft that things begin to unravel. With this, the men begin to reveal to each other, and their spouses, their intentions and their ugly path of adultery.
I'm always up for a good erotic thriller and Erik Van Looy's The Loft is serviceable genre-fare, by that standard. Van Looy apparently felt the story was significant enough to warrant a Dutch-language, Belgian adaptation in 2008 before working on this American version in 2011. Despite being shot in the summer of 2011, the film went through a shift in distributors when the head of Dark Castle Entertainment at Warner Bros. moved offices to Universal. After that, he sat on the film, choosing to release other projects and keep The Loft on the shelf until releasing it with minimal promotion during the dumping ground month of January 2015 in America.
On that basis alone, in addition to being an erotic thriller, a generally tough sell, the American version of The Loft is destined to bear some obscurity in future years. However, what makes this genre work is the elements of sexiness and contempt, which this film has in mass amounts. The erotic flare in Nicolas Karakatsanis's cinematography, heavy on the lavish details and the red textures, and John Frizzell's equal parts sensual and ominous score really make The Loft work for its genre. The contempt element comes in when we realize just how unlikable all of the characters are here. When we are lead down a path of twists and turns, most of which clearly written by the writing team of Bart De Pauw and Wesley Strick, it's clear we cannot trust any of these characters and that makes the experience that much more intriguing.
The Loft, however, has its own share of shortcomings, most of which come in the acting department. Without a doubt, for a mainstream release, this has some of the shakiest acting I have seen in quite sometime. James Marsden constantly feels awkward, giving a deer-in-headlights-esque performance throughout the entire film. His lines delivery carries a certain wooden quality, and isn't assisted by the likes of Urban or Miller, both of whom have their own share of overacting as well. Probably the film's most animated is Stonestreet, given his roly-poly nature, but the acting here brings the film down significant notches, especially in the more climactic sequences.
Furthermore, the downside of there being no likable characters makes it inevitably difficult to care what happens to anyone by the end of the film. While the element of distrust works wonders for the ability to resonate with characters in a film, it makes the outcome less impacting because you find yourself not rooting for anyone in the long run - not even an antihero but a series of unreliable, contemptible souls.
The Loft takes an underrated territory that finds itself charted less and less in the current day and tries to invoke it with some sort of life and substance. While it succeeds aesthetically, it's disappointing on a character level and on an acting level as well. The efforts to get this film a release in America likely wasn't worth the laborious process and the agonizing wait for a release.
Starring: James Marsden, Karl Urban, Wentworth Miller, Eric Stonestreet, Matthias Schoenaerts, Isabel Lucas, Rhona Mitra, and Rachael Taylor.
I'm always up for a good erotic thriller and Erik Van Looy's The Loft is serviceable genre-fare, by that standard. Van Looy apparently felt the story was significant enough to warrant a Dutch-language, Belgian adaptation in 2008 before working on this American version in 2011. Despite being shot in the summer of 2011, the film went through a shift in distributors when the head of Dark Castle Entertainment at Warner Bros. moved offices to Universal. After that, he sat on the film, choosing to release other projects and keep The Loft on the shelf until releasing it with minimal promotion during the dumping ground month of January 2015 in America.
On that basis alone, in addition to being an erotic thriller, a generally tough sell, the American version of The Loft is destined to bear some obscurity in future years. However, what makes this genre work is the elements of sexiness and contempt, which this film has in mass amounts. The erotic flare in Nicolas Karakatsanis's cinematography, heavy on the lavish details and the red textures, and John Frizzell's equal parts sensual and ominous score really make The Loft work for its genre. The contempt element comes in when we realize just how unlikable all of the characters are here. When we are lead down a path of twists and turns, most of which clearly written by the writing team of Bart De Pauw and Wesley Strick, it's clear we cannot trust any of these characters and that makes the experience that much more intriguing.
The Loft, however, has its own share of shortcomings, most of which come in the acting department. Without a doubt, for a mainstream release, this has some of the shakiest acting I have seen in quite sometime. James Marsden constantly feels awkward, giving a deer-in-headlights-esque performance throughout the entire film. His lines delivery carries a certain wooden quality, and isn't assisted by the likes of Urban or Miller, both of whom have their own share of overacting as well. Probably the film's most animated is Stonestreet, given his roly-poly nature, but the acting here brings the film down significant notches, especially in the more climactic sequences.
Furthermore, the downside of there being no likable characters makes it inevitably difficult to care what happens to anyone by the end of the film. While the element of distrust works wonders for the ability to resonate with characters in a film, it makes the outcome less impacting because you find yourself not rooting for anyone in the long run - not even an antihero but a series of unreliable, contemptible souls.
The Loft takes an underrated territory that finds itself charted less and less in the current day and tries to invoke it with some sort of life and substance. While it succeeds aesthetically, it's disappointing on a character level and on an acting level as well. The efforts to get this film a release in America likely wasn't worth the laborious process and the agonizing wait for a release.
Starring: James Marsden, Karl Urban, Wentworth Miller, Eric Stonestreet, Matthias Schoenaerts, Isabel Lucas, Rhona Mitra, and Rachael Taylor.
Suspenseful
shellqueenk1 February 2015
I was surprised how good this film was. I usually figure out who done its before the reveal but I didn't with this one. It can be a bit confusing jumping around from past and present but that adds to the mystery. Its a smart movie and we don't get those that often. Performances are good- most actors seemed to be a bit out of their typical roles. Wentworth Miller was very different from Prison Break and its nice to see Karl Urban break away from SciFi/Fantasy franchises. Eric Stonestreet was very different from his TV role and James Mardsen showed the conflict of someone going against their norm. Also, it was nice to have a movie this length- not so long its hard to stand up when the film is done. Its a shame the studio didn't really back it and do any advertising. I never saw a TV spot- just a preview. They also kept pushing back the release date. Its a shame this one will just probably fade into DVD obscurity because its good and entertaining.
unappealing characters
SnoopyStyle6 August 2016
Architect Vincent Stevens (Karl Urban) is being interrogated by the police as he recounts what happened. Luke Seacord (Wentworth Miller) had discovered a dead girl handcuffed to the bed in the loft. He called Vincent, psychiatrist Chris Vanowen (James Marsden), fellow real estate agent Marty Landry (Eric Stonestreet), and Chris' half brother Philip Williams (Matthias Schoenaerts). Vincent had organized a shared secret love nest for the five married friends. Chris is married to Allison (Rhona Mitra) and had an affair with Ann Morris (Rachael Taylor), the sister of a patient who committed suicide. Vincent is married to Barbara (Valerie Cruz) and slept with Sarah Deakins (Isabel Lucas).
None of the characters are appealing and therefore none of it matters to me. By following a scattering of characters, none of them become big enough to be compelling. It becomes an endurance contest of waiting for the reveal. Since nobody is the hero of the piece, anybody could be the killer and no twist or reveal is truly shocking. I had hopes of a Hitchcockian thriller but it's all very flat.
None of the characters are appealing and therefore none of it matters to me. By following a scattering of characters, none of them become big enough to be compelling. It becomes an endurance contest of waiting for the reveal. Since nobody is the hero of the piece, anybody could be the killer and no twist or reveal is truly shocking. I had hopes of a Hitchcockian thriller but it's all very flat.
Effective thriller that achieves what it sets out to
jtindahouse8 March 2015
From the opening moments of 'The Loft' you can guess pretty much exactly what you're in for. A "whodunnit" mystery with plentiful twists, where not everything is as it seems. Knowing that much doesn't hurt a film at all. In fact it makes the next couple of hours something to be very much looked forward to - or at least for me it does. You could say the format of the genre is lacking in originality, but you could rarely say two films are the same and anyone who says they saw the ending coming is almost always lying or exaggerating a fleeting suspicious they had. This is why I love mystery-thrillers.
'The Loft' is a fun watch - nothing more, nothing less. It achieves exactly what it sets out to. The 5 lead actors were all pretty solid and gave credible performances. I think I will always see Eric Stonestreet as his brilliant character from 'Modern Family', so I struggled a bit at first to take him seriously in his role here, but he's good enough of an actor to get past that. The dialogue was tightly written and every detail that could otherwise have been questioned was covered well. The only fault I could find was the score sometimes drowning out the dialogue which can be annoying in a film like this where you are trying to catch every spoken detail. Altogether though a fine movie.
'The Loft' is a fun watch - nothing more, nothing less. It achieves exactly what it sets out to. The 5 lead actors were all pretty solid and gave credible performances. I think I will always see Eric Stonestreet as his brilliant character from 'Modern Family', so I struggled a bit at first to take him seriously in his role here, but he's good enough of an actor to get past that. The dialogue was tightly written and every detail that could otherwise have been questioned was covered well. The only fault I could find was the score sometimes drowning out the dialogue which can be annoying in a film like this where you are trying to catch every spoken detail. Altogether though a fine movie.
Kind of Risqué, but Still a Good Whodunit
bob-rutzel-239-5254301 June 2015
Five friends: Vincent (Karl Urban), Chris (James Marsden), Luke (Wentworth Miller), Marty ( Eric Stonestreet), and Phillip (Matthias Schoenaerts) are all married, but share a Hi-Scale Loft to accommodate their sexual dalliances and each has his own key that cannot be duplicated. All is good until a dead woman's body is found hand-cuffed to the bed and the argument ensues as to who is responsible. Did one of the 5-friends do it? Did one of the wives do it? Was it someone from outside the group? Hmmmm
..Hey, we have a mystery, and a good one at that. I thought I had it figured out, but
Yes, there is some sex in here, but nothing erotic. Nudity is of a male backside. We see the 5-friends accuse each other and no one claims anything. The keys cannot be duplicated without the code, and the alarm was shut off and this tells all of them that the killer was someone among them (where is Columbo when you need him?). The police eventually get all five and try to break them down. Those interrogations are pretty good.
This gets somewhat complicated, as once again, we are led down paths that lead nowhere or do they? Hmmm .. And to catch us up on everything we are treated to flashbacks of the 5-friends with and without their wives .before the murder, of course. Was it one of the wives who found out about the Loft? Hmmm
Of course there is a twist, but it doesn't answer everything. It starts with Luke making an announcement. No, not that, something else.
The music is good and quite compelling at times and this also helped quicken the pacing which was also supposed to instill tension and suspense. Sadly, it didn't. We saw concern on the faces of the five, but did we care? No.
I was shocked to learn who did it. Maybe you will be too. Okay, maybe not. (7/10)
Violence: Yes. Sex: Yes, but nothing erotic. Nudity: A male backside. Bloody Gore: Yes. Sexual innuendo Yes. Language: Yes, not much though.
Yes, there is some sex in here, but nothing erotic. Nudity is of a male backside. We see the 5-friends accuse each other and no one claims anything. The keys cannot be duplicated without the code, and the alarm was shut off and this tells all of them that the killer was someone among them (where is Columbo when you need him?). The police eventually get all five and try to break them down. Those interrogations are pretty good.
This gets somewhat complicated, as once again, we are led down paths that lead nowhere or do they? Hmmm .. And to catch us up on everything we are treated to flashbacks of the 5-friends with and without their wives .before the murder, of course. Was it one of the wives who found out about the Loft? Hmmm
Of course there is a twist, but it doesn't answer everything. It starts with Luke making an announcement. No, not that, something else.
The music is good and quite compelling at times and this also helped quicken the pacing which was also supposed to instill tension and suspense. Sadly, it didn't. We saw concern on the faces of the five, but did we care? No.
I was shocked to learn who did it. Maybe you will be too. Okay, maybe not. (7/10)
Violence: Yes. Sex: Yes, but nothing erotic. Nudity: A male backside. Bloody Gore: Yes. Sexual innuendo Yes. Language: Yes, not much though.
Please Read
hollandersh1012 February 2015
I saw this two weeks ago when it first came out, at the time, IMDb had it at a respectable 7.2. I know that films often have inflated ratings when they first come out but I gave it a shot. I am being honest when I tell you that this is the worst movie I have ever payed money to see. Guys, its so bad, I got an IMDb account just to tell you how bad it actually is. The entire theater groaned through the "tense" scenes, we laughed collectively at the shoddy camera and downright comical acting. Had I not gone with a group of friends, I'd have been out of that theater within the first 10 min. anyone that gives this film a positive review is trying to sell you something, or thinks One Tree Hill is God's gift to man. Seriously, this is a cautionary tale, its not a guilty pleasure, its a down right awful movie. Plain and simple guys, skip it, or don't say I didn't warn you.
This is like a grown up Very Bad Things. I really really enjoyed it and I recommend this as a change of pace movie.
cosmo_tiger7 April 2015
"None of us had anything to do with this right? Right?!" Five friends decide to share a penthouse loft in which they can carry out their affairs in. Things are going fine until they find a dead woman in the bed. Friendships are tested as they try and figure out who she is, and who killed her. I didn't know what to expect from this movie at all. I didn't see any previews for this and I was really just hoping it would be something I wouldn't have to fight to stay awake through. What I found was that I was sucked in almost right away and could not look away. The movie is very well written and while the twists are a little predictable it doesn't distract from the enjoyment or the tenseness of the movie in any way. This is like a grown up Very Bad Things and I'm not sure if it was because I had no expectations for this movie but I really really enjoyed it and I recommend this as a change of pace movie. Overall, one of the biggest surprise movies I have seen in a long time. I recommend this. I give it a high B+.
B grade all the way. Stick to the original
eddie_baggins14 December 2015
A film you just wish someone like David Fincher tackled, The Loft is a B grade movie through and through and a movie that makes no illusions to what it is and Erik Van Looy's English language remake of his original foreign thriller of the same name is a movie that despite its quite obvious flaws and sometimes downright weird acting turns is an enjoyable guilty pleasure that for all sakes and purposes shouldn't be as watchable as it is.
This above statement is by no means a glowing recommendation however, as The Loft is quite frequently a terrible movie that is saved by a plot line so unbelievable yet bewilderingly intriguing that you can't help but watch and try figure out who's done what, who's betrayed who and who can be a bigger bigot than the next guy. It's clear that this material was enough for Van Looy's original film to be well regarded and without having seen it, it was likely less sowed into B grade fodder than this long shelved Hollywood remake that was filmed in 2011 yet only released this year and perhaps the companies behind this redoing clued onto the films biggest flaw, the un-likability of EVERY single character in the film.
This above statement is supposed to be taken literally as all jokes aside, The Loft just might well be the most terrible ensemble committed to screen in many moons. When reading through the name cast of Karl Urban, James Marsden and yes Modern Family's lovable blob Eric Stonestreet you may think this is a strange statement to make and the actors aren't movie ruining horrible (even though Prison Break's Wentworth Miller try's his hardest to be) but there characters sure are.
How much can we really relate to a bunch of guys that get together to co-own a seedy city loft apartment where they're free to do anything to anyone at any time and when this crew of calculating derelicts share screen time the cringe factor goes up to almost unbearable levels and by the film's final act you'll soon come to realise that the films reveal isn't all it was cracked up to be from such a loaded plot driver.
For all intents and purposes The Loft is a lot more entertaining than it has any right to be but that is almost entirely due to its mysterious lifeless body that puts our creepy bunch of males into a sticky predicament and take away that and concentration towards the films "twist", script and characters unearths a film that should be a whole new league of worse than it actually is. Watch for the could've been factor not the what is factor.
2 creepy friends out of 5
This above statement is by no means a glowing recommendation however, as The Loft is quite frequently a terrible movie that is saved by a plot line so unbelievable yet bewilderingly intriguing that you can't help but watch and try figure out who's done what, who's betrayed who and who can be a bigger bigot than the next guy. It's clear that this material was enough for Van Looy's original film to be well regarded and without having seen it, it was likely less sowed into B grade fodder than this long shelved Hollywood remake that was filmed in 2011 yet only released this year and perhaps the companies behind this redoing clued onto the films biggest flaw, the un-likability of EVERY single character in the film.
This above statement is supposed to be taken literally as all jokes aside, The Loft just might well be the most terrible ensemble committed to screen in many moons. When reading through the name cast of Karl Urban, James Marsden and yes Modern Family's lovable blob Eric Stonestreet you may think this is a strange statement to make and the actors aren't movie ruining horrible (even though Prison Break's Wentworth Miller try's his hardest to be) but there characters sure are.
How much can we really relate to a bunch of guys that get together to co-own a seedy city loft apartment where they're free to do anything to anyone at any time and when this crew of calculating derelicts share screen time the cringe factor goes up to almost unbearable levels and by the film's final act you'll soon come to realise that the films reveal isn't all it was cracked up to be from such a loaded plot driver.
For all intents and purposes The Loft is a lot more entertaining than it has any right to be but that is almost entirely due to its mysterious lifeless body that puts our creepy bunch of males into a sticky predicament and take away that and concentration towards the films "twist", script and characters unearths a film that should be a whole new league of worse than it actually is. Watch for the could've been factor not the what is factor.
2 creepy friends out of 5
BRILLIANT THRILLER!
jhmoondance15 November 2021
A superb tense dark thriller with a great cast n brilliant likeable n believable characters.
It runs smooth n slick n is packed with twists n suspense n will keep you on your toes.
An excellent unpredictable twisted ending that I did not see coming.
I highly recommend this movie especially if you like suspense, tension n excellent who done it thrillers. Really amazing dark thrill seeking movie with a totally unexpected ending.
It runs smooth n slick n is packed with twists n suspense n will keep you on your toes.
An excellent unpredictable twisted ending that I did not see coming.
I highly recommend this movie especially if you like suspense, tension n excellent who done it thrillers. Really amazing dark thrill seeking movie with a totally unexpected ending.
One Twist Too Many
lizzi669214 July 2016
I really liked the majority of this movie. It kept me interested and for the most part it also kept me guessing. The problem is they added in one too many twists. I didn't actually dislike either of the major twists. Both of them would have been good endings to the movie, but the fake out and then the reveal of the "true" story was too much. I knew that I was going to be disappointed when the first "shock" happened and there was still more than 20 minutes left in the movie.
Also, the end was too happy for the characters. There were really no "good guys" in this movie. They were all a bunch of assholes and none of them deserved even a "happy for now" ending. I didn't mind the lack of likable characters until the end.
Also, the end was too happy for the characters. There were really no "good guys" in this movie. They were all a bunch of assholes and none of them deserved even a "happy for now" ending. I didn't mind the lack of likable characters until the end.
Worst movie I've seen in a long time
Zbigniew_Krycsiwiki6 February 2015
After sitting unreleased and collecting dust for three and a half years (and currently sitting at a rock bottom 0% on rottentomatoes) this sleazy, wannabe thriller wasn't worth the wait. The trailer looked intriguing to me, but the film is filled with repulsive characters (one is a coked-out rapist, another is a slimeball who makes it public that he wants to bang his "friend"'s kid sister, another is a closet homosexual who secretly films his "friend" banging random girls in the loft - why would any of these people associate with each other in the first place?) and a screenplay with a new twist in nearly every scene, which merely becomes over complicated and far too confusing after the second twist. After that, I didn't even care who the killer was, or why.
There is absolutely no structure to this film, it's not told in even remotely linear fashion, and the first scene gives away parts of the ending, making the climax partially predictable.
Not even good in a turn-your-mind-off-and-enjoy-it type of way, just over-plotted and sleazy. And do any of these guys ever shave? Not every guy can pull off the five o'clock shadow look.
Filmmakers tried for a deep and meaningful, profound closing scene, and failed miserably.
There is absolutely no structure to this film, it's not told in even remotely linear fashion, and the first scene gives away parts of the ending, making the climax partially predictable.
Not even good in a turn-your-mind-off-and-enjoy-it type of way, just over-plotted and sleazy. And do any of these guys ever shave? Not every guy can pull off the five o'clock shadow look.
Filmmakers tried for a deep and meaningful, profound closing scene, and failed miserably.
Amazing
louheuvelmans15 October 2014
Great movie. Heard about the original and really enjoyed it ! The script is very good and I believe there are little of these movies made. I really like thrillers like Seven, the bone collector, etc. and this one has a spot between them. I have not seen the original one so I can't really compare but as I read the original one has the same script but this American remake is much more loaded. I was really moved by the atmosphere in the movie, starting at a party where you see the main actors discussing there naughty hidden life and sharing a key of a beautiful loft. There is some recognizable thing for most men there I guess and I think many people can imagine that if you could take part of it, it would bring much fun and excitement.
Catchy to follow, but the twists are not convincing afterwards and the ending is insipid
BeneCumb3 December 2017
I have not seen the original Belgian film and was unaware of the plot, so my views are totally based on what I saw and how I perceived the progress and logic of the plot. I have to say that most of this 1.5 h or so film felt intriguing - the benchmark of events was thrilling, the leading performances were at least good (I found James Marsden and Wentworth Miller more versatile than others), but then a kind of over- sophistication started to prevail and their solutions did not seem realistic any more - in view of modern applications the police have today, or the doubtfulness of motives behind. Soon the unnecessary number of characters and scenes were included, bringing out certain mess in following the events... And the very ending was too trivial.
So, not a flop, but nothing very special, and not recommended if you have previous knowledge of the wrongdoer or guess him too early.
So, not a flop, but nothing very special, and not recommended if you have previous knowledge of the wrongdoer or guess him too early.
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