The Intruder (2019)

The Intruder (2019)

Not to be confused with the horror film Intruder (1989), nor with the drama The Intruder (1961).

Billed as a sort of reverse Get Out (2017), this film is an enjoyable watch, but nothing more. Indeed, the female lead’s naivety and kindness quickly become cloying.

When a young married couple (Michael Ealy and Meagan Good) buy their dream home in Napa Valley, they believe they have found the perfect place to build a future together as a family. But when the seller, who is strangely attached to his house (Dennis Quaid), keeps meddling in their lives, they begin to suspect that he has motives that go far beyond simply making a quick sale.

I first came across Michael Ealy in the thriller The Perfect Guy (2015), which I really enjoyed. He does a great job once again here in the role of the suspicious husband, who is also more aware of what’s going on than his wife.

Meagan Good is a Guinean-American actress and model. She first attracted critical attention for her role in the film Eve’s Bayou (1997), before landing the role of Nina in the Nickelodeon comedy series Cousin Skeeter (1998–2001). I’d seen her before, but she never really made much of an impression on me! In fact, she also appeared in Saw V (2008) and played the superhero version of Darla Dudley in the DC Extended Universe films Shazam! (2019) and Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023). She also co-produced and starred in Tyler Perry’s Divorce in the Black (2024) for Amazon Prime Video, but I haven’t seen it. These things don’t bother me that much anymore, as few films really manage to break new ground these days. They could have given the main couple a bit more depth and explored their pasts a little more, for example.

In films like this, there are all too often irritating and unrealistic elements. When you know you’re in a psychopath’s lair and you know he’s lurking around, you call the police. You don’t venture deeper and deeper inside.

Well, the film wasn’t a hit, and that’s understandable. It’s perhaps worth watching once for all fans of this kind of thriller.

That said, I came across a very enthusiastic review which has put me in a good mood: ‘I love it. One of the best films. Thank goodness I didn’t read some people’s reviews before watching it, as they would have spoiled the film for me. Really gripping.’ It’s nice to see people enjoying it and not seeing all the flaws that I spotted.

Joseph Sikora is quite a pleasure to watch in this role. The bloke who plays the tough guy, who treats his car like a shrine… but who runs away when faced with real danger, even when he’s supposed to be going to save a woman!

Alvina August plays his partner. It’s sad to say, but she really does have a pointless, decorative role. She’s only there for the couples’ dinners and doesn’t say anything of any significance. After all, it’s often awkward to invite very lonely singles to parties full of couples.

Erica Cerra, as stunningly beautiful as ever, once again plays the charm card, albeit in a minor role. She tries to seduce a married man – who happens to be her colleague – without the slightest qualms. This adds an extra touch of drama.

As for the young Lili Sepe, we don’t even see her for three minutes in total, but her role is what turns the situation on its head.

Well, I could write: “Utterly uninteresting, a TV film of distressing banality, the same old, same old… How can anyone produce such a rubbish pseudo-film?” But I don’t often dwell on that sort of detail.

Dennis Quaid is incredible! Truly impressive and unsettling, he can be as irritating and repulsive as you could wish for. He still manages to surprise and turn up where you least expect him. We’ve certainly seen him in a wide variety of roles throughout his long career. He really reminded me of Jack Nicholson’s madcap roles in this film, with his disturbing grimaces and smiles. Through his facial expressions alone, he manages to be extremely irritating. Yet another role that suits him down to the ground. When you see his son Jack, you realise the apple hasn’t fallen far from the tree.

A pleasant surprise in terms of its direction; even though the outcome is a foregone conclusion from the start – given that the plot is rather predictable – you find yourself drawn in by the portrayal of this deeply troubled, calculating and diabolical intruder.

Here’s another favourable review: ‘Well, yes: it’s a film about a gatecrasher, so we know more or less how it’s going to unfold… So what? What’s the problem? Cinema is all about variation, and this variation on the ‘intruder’ theme is pleasantly well executed, carried by actors at the top of their game.”

If I really had to sum it up in two sentences, I’d say: A light-hearted, run-of-the-mill thriller, dominated by the excellent Dennis Quaid, in a role that’s somewhat against type. There have been far better films in the genre, but far worse ones too.