Saw X is one of the strongest sequels in the horror franchise, for its in-depth humanisation of main villain John Kramer, played by a never-better Tobin Bell, and its more personal revenge tale, while still giving most of everything fans want to see in a Saw film, from ridiculously convoluted traps to nonsensical gore.
Reptile is an unfortunate slog of a crime thriller that sticks so closely to the police procedural formula that it ends up doing nothing else that’s interesting for the entirety of its two-plus hour running time, which makes it rather dull and portentous to sit through.
Certificate: 12A Running Time: 133 mins UK Distributor: 20th Century Studios UK Release Date: 28 September 2023 WHO’S IN THE CREATOR? John David...
The Lesson is a handsomely made thriller with a slightly cheeky style by director Alice Troughton, and a collection of sharp performances from the likes of Richard E. Grant and Julie Delpy, but a script that thinks it’s cleverer than it is leaves the film less satisfying as a whole.
Dumb Money is a mostly entertaining retelling of the GameStop short squeeze phenomenon, which has some fun performances and a decent sense of humour, though the narrative opts for an all too simple underdog narrative that detracts slightly from the overall impact of the real-life story.
Certificate: 15 Running Time: 103 mins UK Distributor: Lionsgate UK Release Date: 22 September 2023 WHO’S IN EXPEND4BLES? Jason Statham, Sylvester...
Accused is a solid home invasion thriller that executes many of the familiar conventions extremely well thanks to director Philip Barantini’s heavily tense filmmaking, while the thoughtful script plays into relevant discussions surrounding online misinformation, especially those with hateful and dangerous agendas.
It Lives Inside is a horror with intriguing concepts and themes, and occasionally brings a neatly creepy atmosphere to the proceedings, but it sets itself unnecessary restrictions by following a familiar template within a budget that clearly prevents the filmmakers from exploring its concept more.
Certificate: U Running Time: 92 mins UK Distributor: Vertigo Releasing UK Release Date: 15 September 2023 WHO’S IN RALLY ROAD RACERS? Jimmy O. Yang,...