Trust (2025)

Trust (2025)

Not to be confused with David Schwimmer’s Trust (2010), starring Clive Owen, Catherine Keener, Viola Davis and Noah Emmerich.

I wonder to what extent the excellent Panic Room (2002) has influenced this film. There’s a woman locked in a room and three criminals who break into the house (an Airbnb) where she’s staying. She’d come there to disconnect from the world and her work, and to recharge her batteries a bit. The trio are completely stupid and utterly inept. But we know that stupidity can be dangerous for those around them. These thugs spoil the film and make it uninteresting, even if they aren’t on screen much.

In the past, we’ve seen so many criminals who have charisma, who are even funny, who have a good sense of humour, whether dark or not. There are even some we sympathise with or almost end up understanding. But here, none of that! I just wanted them to die or go back to prison. At no point did I enjoy watching them. Except for Kroft’s character, perhaps.

I have a bad habit of confusing Natalie Dormer with Sophie Turner. When I watch a film specifically for Natalie, but end up with Sophie, it’s usually a disappointment. Yet Turner isn’t bad. She’s just a notch below, alas.

Best known for Game of Thrones, she appeared in the disappointing X-Men: Dark Phoenix (2019), though X-Men: Apocalypse (2016) wasn’t too bad. She was quite convincing in the role of the young Jean Grey, aka Phoenix. But my favourite film of hers is probably Survive (2022).

This film, on the other hand, is bad right from the start. It can’t even boast of having a decent first half-hour. It’s boring and the characters are rather annoying. Time drags on and you waste it watching this series of events that’s not at all thrilling and ultimately leads nowhere.

Sophie Turner (who is something of a chameleon of an actress) once again gives her all, but it’s not enough. She must have gone all out, in every sense of the word, but she’s nowhere near capable of saving this dud, which is yet another blunder in the world of cinema.

I quite like Peter Mensah (who plays Kroft, incidentally) but I don’t think I’ve ever seen him in a good film! Yes, at the risk of shocking you, I’m not a fan of 300 (2006) or Avatar (2009)! I really ought to have a look at his series ‘Midnight, Texas’, which interests me a bit more than Sleepy Hollow or Spartacus. He doesn’t feature much in this one either, but it’s always a pleasure to see him.

One person who’s brilliant here is Katey Sagal (not to be confused with Kate Siegel), who’s the one who amused me the most in this film, which, sadly, doesn’t have much going for it.

The woman who finds herself in a bind is a celebrity, with all the ups and downs that entails – all the downsides of fame. A famous actor she’s fallen for is playing games with her without showing her much respect. He gets her pregnant, but her agent tells her not to tell the press she’s expecting a child, otherwise her career will suffer. In short! All the aspects of celebrity life that don’t interest me!
Not to mention that some people would do anything for that fame! A face covered in blood after a traumatic event is sometimes less powerful than a whole host of international cameras trained on you. Everyone has their own take on it, depending on their sensibilities or ethics.

And why is it that when there’s a brutal murder, the killer or the survivor ends up with their face covered in blood… but not necessarily the rest of their body???