Angst
I tend not to like home invasion movies, and this movie unfortunately continues that trend for me. In a way though, I'm kind of glad. If I was a fan of this movie, and I brought the blu ray only to see <PERSON> drooling over it as he gushed about how it inspired his crappy oeuvre, I'd want to burn my TV to the ground.
There are things about Angst that I like. The cinematography is fantastic, with a constantly moving camera matching the intensity of the lead actor's performance so well. The directing is interesting, with the juxtaposition between the killer's calm inner monologue and the frenetic events of the home invasion giving the film a unique style.
That's where my compliments end, though. 217
Unfortunately, the entire home invasion sequence that takes up two-thirds of the movie felt absolutely phony to me. Nothing makes the family the killer is targeting feel real. We never see them have any meaningful interactions, their house is surprisingly devoid of furnishings, their performances are subdued for a family whose house has been broken into by a crazed serial killer, etc. etc. Sure, the actors are giving incredibly physical performances, but I never get immersed in the story, so I never really get affected by the attempts to shock me.
It's weird, because even though the filmmaker at the helm clearly takes liberties with the story that inspired the film, the elements he does use from the story seem to have hamstrung him, leading to an experience that feels half-baked. 306