NO ONE LIVES(Ryuhei Kitamura). 86 minutes. Opens Friday (June 21) at Yonge-Dundas Square. For venues and times, see listings. Rating: NN
No One Lives is a slasher movie with a twist, in that the slasher is the sort-of hero.
Played by Luke Evans, he’s a nameless psychopath whom a gang of scumbags (led by Lee Tergesen of Oz and Red Widow) makes the mistake of carjacking when he and his lady friend (Laura Ramsey) drive through their small town. This understandably leads him to go all Predator on them, using his skills (and a conveniently mobile murder kit) to pick them off one by one at their isolated cabin hideout.
Director Ryuhei Kitamura (Versus, The Midnight Meat Train) has a flair for grimy, stylized mayhem, and the first half-hour has a confident momentum. Soon, though, like every other WWE Studios production, the intriguing concept gives way to pointless nudity, gore and sadism. Evans is one charming bastard, though, and Kitamura lights him beautifully.
Also as in every other WWE Studios production, all the supporting roles are played by gym rats and wrestlers. If it weren’t for the presence of the hulking Brodus Clay, No One Lives would have an even lower average body mass index than the new Fast & Furious movie.
