No Exit (I) (2022) User Reviews

Did a good enough job.

[wareeshaahmed · 6/10 · 4 March 2022]

What was supposed to be a horror movie turned into a crime scene pretty quick. The typical "don't judge a book by it's cover" is the theme of the movie.

With a 1.5 hour runtime, the movie doesn't beat around the bush and gets to the point pretty quick - another pro.

A quick thriller with a game performance from Havana Rose Liu

[adotson-98233 · 7/10 · 26 February 2022]

"No Exit" is a quick, fast paced 95 minutes that features a good story and a great lead performance.

What I liked about this movie is of course as I said the lead. Havana Rose Liu is great in this movie. She gets to shine a lot here. All the other performances too are mostly pretty good. The movie is very fast paced. It's gets to the plot very quick The story I also really like. It defiantly takes inspiration from other movies, but it's intriguing enough. There's some really great tension in the final 20 minutes of the movie. And finally I like how at times they presented some of the twists. It was actually kinda shocking.

Now this isn't an amazing movie and it does have its issues. It is derivative of some other thrillers. The movie isn't as intense as I wanted it to be. I think there could've been a little more tension, and finally the movie kinda just abruptly ended and it just felt like the movie didn't know how to end.

Overall despite being a little derivative of other movies, "No Exit" is a quick, fast paced thriller with a great lead performance, and enough intrigue to keep you interested.

it takes a turn, then takes another turn.. ended up in the same spot

[exlana · 6/10 · 12 November 2022]

During a blizzard, college girl stuck in this cabin with some strangers and find a kidnapped girl in a van. Then the college girl (and all the character) starts to made a string of poor choices. Shocking, i know. The general premise of No Exit though not groundbreaking, sounds interesting. At first glance, it seems like it's gonna be a whodunit mystery-thriller, but then things takes turns, and another turn and another, and another... you get what i'm saying. Good on paper, bad on practice. Though some of these turns are fun and bold, it makes this film messy.

You would think with all these 'plot twist' that the ending would be somewhat unpredictable, right? Wrong. The ending is as generic as it can get. Overall, No Exit has a very weak script, dull-cringeworthy-professional poor-decision-maker characters. I guess the highlight of this film is some of the gore are pretty gory... (ba dum tss), the acting is decent, the run time and the pace are adequate.

It's a mindless insomnia watch, but definitely skippable 5.8/10.

Solid crime/thriller.

[deloudelouvain · 7/10 · 17 October 2023]

No Exit is a solid crime/thriller with a fair amount of suspense. I would have rated with an eight if I didn't had figured out the mystery that early. It has good twists and turns but for some reason (maybe the acting of a couple actors that gave it away) I saw them coming and that was a bit of a bummer, but still it's a good story, and I'm sure some people will get surprised. The acting of Havana Rose Liu on the other hand was really good. She was by far the best actress of this cast. The cinematography was good as well. A dark atmosphere well shot. In this genre No Exit is well worth watching.

Solid thriller

[Floated2 · 6/10 · 2 April 2022]

Had no expectations or knowledge of this film and didn't know of the novel it is based on. Solely based on the film, it is a decent enough thriller with some thrills but nothing too memorable. A lot of what occurs is vastly predictable including the criminals actions and the entire setup.

In the end what occurred is what we saw coming. Overall it was solid enough for a one time watch, didn't drag on too much and had some thrills. The leading actress stands out and her character is given enough depth and backstory giving the audience a reason to care.

A solid thriller featuring a breakout performance by Havana Rose Liu

[IonicBreezeMachine · 7/10 · 25 February 2022]

Darby Thorne (Havana Rose Liu) is a troubled young woman reluctantly in court mandated rehab in Sacramento, California. Darby is alerted her mother has suffered a brain aneurysm and is now in the hospital but her doctor is unavailable to sign off any outside communication or furlough. Out of desperation Darby steals one of the facility workers vehicles intent on driving to Salt Lake City to visit her mother in the hospital despite her estrangement from her family who've made clear they don't want her there. Bad weather causes road closures and Darby is directed to the Muir's Rest visitors center where four others consisting of husband and wife Ed (Dennis Haysbert) and Sandi (Dale Dickey), and others Ash (Danny Ramirez) and Lars (David Rysdahl). As Darby tries in vain to get a signal in the parking lot, she comes across a beat up windowless ban where a child is bound and gagged in the back. Unable to dial 911, Darby must now figure out who of the strangers she's stuck with is the abductor and survive the storm and the night.

No Exit is an adaptation of the 2017 novel of the same name by Taylor Adams. The film is directed by Damien Power whose previous effort was the well regarded 2016 horror film Killing Ground and written by scribes Andrew Barrer and Gabriel Ferrari whose previous credits include the MCU film Ant Man and the Wasp as well as the critically maligned Die in a Gunfight that while appearing on the annual Blacklist of best unproduced screenplays had a troubled production. No Exit takes a small scale premise and creates a suitably twisty and engaging thriller.

Havana Rose Liu fantastic in the lead as Darby Thorne and this is Liu's first time playing a lead having done a handful of supporting work before this. We get some solid moments of Liu dealing with her past trauma and showing sides of acerbic cynicism and emotional vulnerability and with the more physically challenging bits that come through later in the film I really feel this could be a star making performance for Liu and can't wait to see what's next for her. The movie being a limited location piece is predicated upon having a strong supporting cast and we get that with an eclectic bunch of character actors making up those at the rest stop with reliable stapes like the always welcome Dennis Haysbert and Dale Dickey as well as strong relatively newish actors like Danny Ramirez and David Rysdahl. Damien Power shows a solid handling of this type of limited location thriller with solid establishment of the Visitors Center and its surrounding locales and you feel the bitterness of the cold, the oppressiveness of the isolation, and tension and unease of the group with every moment.

The script by Andrew Barrer and Gabriel Ferrari is taut and well-paced with character, situation, and stakes effectively established while keeping the audience on edge. For the most part the movie is framed from Darby's point of view so we're very much in her shoes as she's trapped in this building in the middle of nowhere with no way out. The story is suitably twisty with solid revelations and reversals as expected for a movie of this ilk, but I wasn't completely sold on one revelation towards the third act. Admittedly it wasn't a "breaker" for me personally but it felt like the movie overextended itself a bit in how certain things were connected but your mileage may vary.

No Exit is a solid thriller anchored by a breakout lead from Havana Rose Liu as Darby Thorne, with a strong supporting cast and strong sense of isolation and unease created by director Damien Power from a taut well-paced script by Andrew Barrer and Gabriel Ferrari, No Exit makes for some good thrills that don't let up until the end. The movie doesn't quite stick the landing with one of its revelations (for me personally anyway) but aside from that one point I was actively engaged by No Exit and recommend it highly.

Predictable but Entertaining

[koltonbrett · 6/10 · 26 February 2022]

No Exit has nothing new to see, but it's still entertaining. The scenario of being stranded at a rest stop overnight with a kidnapper is suspenseful. Not knowing at first who the kidnapper is creates a nice element of mystery and let's us play detective for a little while. The story is pretty predictable as it tries to be unpredictable with some twists. It's full of clichés and the stereotypical characters are not extremely interesting but they serve their purpose. Though this horror/thriller contains some blood and violence, it shouldn't be more than the average thriller fan can handle. While nothing feels fresh here, it's not a hard movie to sit through. It's a simple, low budget thriller that moves fast enough to keep us entertained. It holds an obvious low opinion of white people which doesn't do it any favors.

Starts off strong, but quickly falls flat on it's face

[chacewhite · 4/10 · 25 February 2022]

This movie starts off strong with an interesting whodunnit premise centered around our main character who we get just enough backstory to care about. Not a single other character is given but a few minutes of dialogue to flesh them out so you end up not really caring about anyone else or what happens to them. The pacing was all over the place and there's really not enough that happens to justify a 90 minute movie.

Very early on we switch genres from whodunnit mystery to mostly straight up thriller which I found disappointing and kind of boring. The description of this movie is very misleading and I think it will leave a lot of folks disappointed because it does not match the movie I watched. It's worth checking out if you consume a lot of movie media and are looking to watch something you haven't seen, but it's very average.

Isolation thriller that keeps you on edge until the end.

[cruise01 · 7/10 · 4 March 2022]

3.5 out of 5 stars.

No Exit is a pretty fair thriller film about a recovering drug addict Darby (Havana Rose Liu). After discovering that her mom is in the hospital. She escapes the rehab center and gets caught in a blizzard storm in a rest stop visitors center with four other strangers. Being stuck in the storm. She finds out there is a kidnapped girl in one of there vans. Trying to piece together who is the suspect and who she can trust. While trying to save the girl.

One of those isolation thrillers where Darby plays cat and mouse with trying to signal for help and rescue the girl. While trying to avoid being a victim herself. Good cast ensemble and acting. Entertaining thriller that keeps you on the edge. Not really much of a plot. And a thin script with the other characters besides learning one is a military vet. And the other is a nurse.

A solid 5! Good for a Sunday Evening Watch

[mochteam · 5/10 · 7 March 2022]

I've read the reviews on this movie. Some are good and some are crazy and some or oddly racists. That being said it's hard to really get a scope on this film as it's ratings are all over the charts so I'll do my best.

This is a good movie. It's not a mind blowing movie, it's not even a movie you'd probably remember watching a year or two from now. It's just a good "fill the void" and be entertained for an hour or so kind of movie.

It's not really a mystery movie which is what I thought it would be it's more of a suspense/action thriller and that's what makes the movie sort of fall flat. It would have been great as a mystery that didn't get unveiled until the end as the main character tried to seek help for the girl while being unable to trust the company she was in (that's kind of what the trailer advertises) instead it's kind of this strange "Home Alone Wet Bandits" kind of thing where you have the main character trying to fend off/escape from some dopey kidnappers who are kind of screw ups.

The movie is short on the one thing it should be strong on and that's "mystery". The secret is revealed maybe 20 minutes in and after that it's an action movie. It's not a "predictable" where you'll be bored because you know what to expect but it's just as I said earlier the kidnappers are rather goofy and unintimidating so you don't every get a sense of "fear" or real danger from them.

Things do happen in this movie so no need to spoil it but it's kind of a forgetful movie in the end. In the long run I will remember this movie for having the Allstate Insurance guy in it who always made me feel like he was going to drop a line about affordable home and car insurance at any given time.

The movie also at points almost becomes an unintentional black comedy. I just don't know if it was meant to be that way or if it was because of the acting or what but there were scenes that were funny that probably weren't supposed to be funny yet it was still worth the laugh to me.

I also like that they used a 4th generation V6 Camaro in this movie that for some reason sounded like it had a V8 engine that was slightly amusing but I'm just a Camaro fan so I noticed that no big deal to make of it.

For me this movie sat in at a good 5/10 as an "average movie". It was a decent film and the acting was fitting for it but I know in the long run I'll forget I ever watched it.

So the director, writers and lead are all newbs?! Wow, bravo! 👏👏🙌

[Top_Dawg_Critic · 9/10 · 28 February 2022]

This film is Damien Power's second full length feature film as director, with only a handful of prior short films, and he does impress. His directing behind the camera, as well as directing his cast, is near perfect. This felt like a seasoned Hollywood pro directed it.

Then you have newb writers Andrew Barrer and Gabriel Ferrari who gave us a suspensefully paced cohesive screenplay with lots of thrills, twists, action and suspense. Sure, maybe they weren't the crazy Hollywood-type thrills, but this toned down thriller felt very realistic.

The cinematography and score were excellent - also very surprising for a low budget B film. All casting and performances were spot-on, especially newb actress Havana Rose Liu in her only sixth-ever acting role, who nailed the emotional and painful scenes towards the end like a pro. It was also good to see our "safe drivers save 40 percent" Allstate dude, Dennis Haysbert.

This film is a great Saturday night popcorn flick, and am shocked how some critics slammed it, especially when it was such a well put-together low budget amateur production. It's a very deserving 8.5 rounded up to a 9/10 from me.

Solid but offers nothing new!

[Denis89 · 25 February 2022]

It's like one of those 2000's thrillers with twisty plots and ensemble casts. The kind of movies that would have starred Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd, Angelina Jolie and similar but these days can be find on your average streamer. Average and basic but keeps you entertained. If you have seen many movies like this you will easily figure out all the twists in advance and be able to guess where the plot goes. But there are far worse choices out there..

At times surprisingly effective kidnapping drama

[paul-allaer · 6/10 · 22 March 2022]

As "No Exit" (2022 release; 95 min.) opens, we are introduced to Darby, a young woman who is in rehab. When Darby learns that her mother has gone to the hospital, Darby makes her escape and steals a car. Alas, there is a blizzard coming and Darby must shelter in a remote visitors center with 4 other stranded people... At this point we are 10 minutes into the movie.

Couple of comments: this is directed by Damien Power (in just his 2nd feature length). Here he brings Taylor Adams' novel of the same name onto the screen. I can't tell for sure, but this has all the feelings of a COVID-19 production: almost the entire movie plays out in a single location (the Visitors Center), and with a small cast. The initial 30 minutes are a bit slow, but then the movie finds a second gear, so to speak, and really kicks in. This movie is super plot-heavy so the less said, the better. All but one of the cast were no-names to me. The only one I recognized was Dennis Haysbert. Bottom line: this isn't going to get any awards nominations, but I quite enjoyed my time with this.

"No Exit" was originally intended to be released in theaters, but resulting from the COVID mess, it got delayed and delayed and then finally pulled from the schedule altogether. It recently started airing on Hulu, where I caught it the other night. If you are in the mood for a scary kidnapping drama/thriller, I'd readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.

Standout performance in a decent film

[Howling_at_the_Moon_Reviews · 5/10 · 18 October 2022]

This thriller was straight to the point and satisfactory over all. It didn't make any wild, innovative leaps in cinematic history, but it accomplished what it set out to do.

I would say my biggest "gripe" would be the lack of originality and use of cliches (because there were quite a bit). Because of this, the plot set up, themes and characters felt a little lazy to me.

Overwhelmingly, for me, the biggest positive was the leads performance. I thought she did a pretty stellar job. Honestly, the cast as an ensemble was quite good, with some familiar faces, but the lead really was the shining star in the group. Hope to see her in more because if it wasn't for her I would not have liked this movie nearly as much.

Again, nothing crazy... but a solid film that was entertaining. Would recommend.

GREAT movie !

[miroslavmilosevic-22770 · 7/10 · 26 February 2022]

Really good movie.

A simple yet strong story with a great cast and acting.

It's everything a thriller action drama little of horror.

I really enjoyed it. :) Twist and turns everywhere, not sure who to believe and who is a friend in this movie, really a good job.

Nicely done

[redtech-16571 · 7/10 · 29 January 2023]

This had been on my watchlist for awhile when I discovered that it was a novel. I read a lot, so when I found the book I decided to read it first. The film is a solid adaptation with some minor tweaks that make a lot of sense. A few reviews called it predictable but I don't see how, considering I knew how it would end and I was still surprised by some of what happened. All thrillers are predictable to an extent - the hero/ine saves the day and the villain dies. The book was so intense that I had to keep stepping away, and while the film doesn't feel that way, it's still tense and twisty and enjoyable.

No Exit

[henry8-3 · 7/10 · 27 February 2022]

A recovering drug addict played by Havana Rose Liu, travelling to see her dying mother hits a storm and has to stay the night at a visitor centre with 4 others. She finds a young girl in the back of a van tied up and clearly kidnapped - how does she save the girl when she doesn't know who she can trust.

Very exciting, quite brutal and bloody and well acted thriller, especially by Liu and a film to be commended for fitting so much into just 95 minutes. There are plenty of twists and turns, one frankly, I wasn't keen on, all leading to an impressively tense climax. Well worth catching.

Note: This is one of those movies that is filmed in such darkness that it does niggle. I even thought I saw the film flip a couple of times to brighten the picture?

Not bad!

[jaswards · 7/10 · 26 February 2022]

Really, a good movie! It was tense, and full of twists and turns. I really enjoyed the acting, and it didn't strike me as woke propaganda (hard to find these days) . Just a good old fashioned thrill ride!

Get's worse as it goes on

[acj-65004 · 4/10 · 27 February 2022]

This movie started out as a solid 6 or 7, but just got worse the longer it went on. The last 20-30 minutes had some of the worst writing and character decision making I've ever seen in a movie. Yes, it was that bad. No idea how anyone could watch this all the way through and think it was 'clever' or well written. I can only assume that people giving this 7+ stars didn't finish watching the movie. The acting was decent and the overall production quality was ok as well, but that was about it.

Classic but enjoyable

[alexbazelos · 7/10 · 30 July 2022]

A movie with a classic abduction case. But i have to say i enjoyed it very much. There are some things that you can understand from the first minutes about some characters but the plot twist in the ending really it was Very interesting. The ending it was short. I would like to see more details like how Darby and the girl escaped. It was a fast ending that left me unanswered questions.

Overall No exit is a very entertaining movie with action and suspense and a very good cast. Maybe if some details were corrected carefully it would be even better.

For a streaming site film it's good

[jakethesnake-42007 · 5/10 · 27 February 2022]

I've never heard of the film but the premise seemed good and it's on Disney plus so I thought what the hell I'll watch it. For a streaming site is a decent movie would I of paid money to see it in the theatre no but for streaming sites it's good. The acting is good and the story is too. It's a little predictable at times and it sometimes drags but over all It's a good suspense thriller.

Suspenseful and not afraid to make some big moves

[jtindahouse · 8/10 · 25 February 2022]

These are the kind of movies I wish were being made more often. Grounded thrillers, with twists galore and a solid R rating that they aren't afraid to use to its full potential. They're just so much fun to watch.

The suspense in this movie is top-drawer. From the moment a certain event happens we are captivated and the film never releases us. It is relentlessly fast paced. This is 95 minutes that are going to go by very quickly for you.

The film surprised me with how brutal it was willing to be in certain parts. There are no half measures taken. It never feels excessive or gratuitous though. Just doing what the story demands to be done and keeping us on the edge of our seat.

The only thing that let it down a little was the ending. I find films like this often struggle in the wrapping up phase. Everything to that point had been going pretty realistically and made sense. The ending just goes off the rails a little. It's nothing to ruin the film, it just would've been nice to keep the momentum it had going right until the finish.

Nonetheless I had a very good time with 'No Exit'. It's my kind of movie and it's one I would highly recommend. 8/10.

A mostly loyal adaptation of one of my favorite books.

[coltenstoddard · 7/10 · 25 February 2022]

This is one of my first ever reviews but I felt that as a big fan of the book and Taylor Adams in general I should weigh in. Overall, I think fans of the books will be satisfied, but there are some overall quality issues. Ash, for example, is not developed as well as he should be as he was a highly compelling villain in the book. Jay is arguably wasted as she plays a major role in the final showdown in the book. With that being said, I actually enjoyed movie Darby more than book Darby. I felt giving her a backstory in drug addiction made her a more compelling character. There are some issues I have with the dialogue but the book also had some... interesting... dialogue. I'd recommend this for those who read the book and those who enjoy mysteries. It isn't perfect, but it's a fun movie for those who enjoy a little suspense.

Watch the first 45 minutes, then turn it off.....

[jbrbsmom · 3/10 · 26 February 2022]

What starts out as a great movie for the first 45 minutes just becomes terrible.

What a fabulous beginning, though. A slow burn wild ride that has you guessing with creative plot twists and tension and fantastic acting.

Then it derails itself with implausibility after implausibility until you really just wonder what went wrong. A blizzard with less than an inch of snow so that everyone can drive...really...has nobody ever been in an actual blizzard? It ruins a movie for me to see people staggering around in the cold in a sweater for an hour without being bothered in the least. And no need for boots or gloves because getting cold during a blizzard just doesn't happen here.

And a nurse that moonlights as a maid? And we are to believe is degraded by being a maid? Well, how about keep your nursing day job?

The medical aspects are laughable, like when they mention keeping the girl calm or she will go into medical crisis and die. Well, she should have died 30 times over, because they never kept her calm and only medicated her one time during her long and highly excitable ordeal.

A white slave trade of critically ill children? What kind of kidnapping ring is that? When it was said that sending the very sick girl into a slave ring was more profitable than giving her to her extremely wealthy parents that were offering millions for her safe return, I fell out laughing. That was sort of the believability scale I am talking about here.

I WANTED to like this movie and I watch WAY too many movies like this. This one just didn't stack up, make sense or come together properly.

While the beginning has characters that are well thought out and keep their thoughts close to their chest and their motives keep you guessing, somewhere in the middle has everyone becoming a slightly psychotic thrill seeking blood thirsty killer on a murder spree. It is as if the second half of the movie was written by a totally different person who had a totally opposite agenda.

Gone is the finesse and dialogue and plot comprehension for a bloody mess of gore fest and non-sense and an ending where everyone is guilty of something until absolutely nothing makes coherent sense anymore. And the low budget is not lost on most of the graphics.

Most of the acting is quite good. So there were good things in here to say.

If it had just stayed along the lines of a tense mystery thriller, it would have been just fine.

Valiant effort but Read the book!

[brunettevtx · 6/10 · 27 February 2022]

I read the book which I found in a LFL about a year ago and I couldn't put it down. They changed a few things in the movie and dropped a few others - Not to mention there were some plot holes. Darby never tries to figure out who owns the van in the film and it's not clear to us how many vehicles are in the parking lot -she tries to do this in the book. Also the kidnappers talk in code in the book during the card game-this is revealed near the end. Otherwise the movie was entertaining enough.