'Meeting Evil' DVD Review

An engaging, but far-fetched and frustrating thriller.

John is a mild-mannered real estate agent who's down on his luck, facing foreclosure on his own house and unable to sell anyone else's. While licking his wounds one day, a stranger named Richie knocks on his front door asking for help with his stalled car. Before he knows it, John is in Richie's vehicle, along for a ride that begins as lighthearted mischief and ends in a shocking string of increasingly violent acts. As John is drawn into the fray, he's forced to not only clear his name, but also to figure out Richie's motives and put an end to his sadistic crime spree.

Meeting Evil boasts a strong cast and a story from acclaimed author Thomas Berger, whose novels have been turned into the films Little Big Man and Neighbors, but despite its pedigree, there's something "off" about the entire endeavor. It's one of those snowballing plots that feels like, if it were to star an average person with common sense, it would never have gotten past ice cube stage. John should never have gotten into Richie's car in the first place, much less stuck with him after his erratic and aggressive behavior shows its face.

It all feeds into a disturbing lack of urgency on the part of cast and director, as the tension throughout the film never rises to meet the stakes. Although the final reveal is a nice twist that at least partially (but not fully) explains Richie's actions, there are still head-scratching moments from start to finish that hurt Meeting Evil's believability. But the production value is good enough, the pace is quick enough and there's enough sense of intrigue as to what the heck is behind Richie's actions that can't help but stick with it -- for better and worse.

The DVD

No special features.

Movie: C
DVD: F

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