“No Good Deed” is a fitting title for a movie that is, essentially, no good.
From director Sam Miller, “No Good Deed” wastes its potential and talented leads on an over-saturated plot and cliché motifs present in virtually every entry in the home invasion genre. The film barely works, and that’s only thanks to the performers and a pleasantly surprising plot twist.
Starring Taraji P. Henson, seen in “Hustle and Flow” and “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” as Terri and Idris Elba, “Mandela” and “Obsessed,” as Colin, the film begins with Elba’s character at a parole hearing, during which his character is painted as a “malignant narcissist” (which is something I have never heard of, but okay). Colin is denied, and on the way back to prison, proceeds to literally murder everyone, so the “malignant” part turns out to be alarmingly true.
In a series of events straight out of a Telenovela – the viewer doesn’t become privy to the forces moving the plot until the end of the film – Colin ends up at the home of Terri, Jeffrey (Henry Simmons) and their two young children. As all movies of this genre go, Terri is alone and vulnerable during a storm when Colin arrives, as her husband left for the weekend at the beginning of the film. Naturally, havoc ensues.
Since Colin is charming and good-looking, lonely Terri doesn’t really hesitate to invite Colin into her home when he says he got in a car accident and needs a phone. By this time, it’s understood that Colin is a pro when it comes to gaining a woman’s trust and ruining her life – it’s also understood that you should never help a stranger because they will try to kill you.
This time around, though, Colin meets his match in Terri. She’s easily the best part of an otherwise routine film, and her friend Meg (Leslie Bibb) is the worst.
It turns out Terri used to be an attorney and specialized in cases that involved male-on-female violence, and while that may be a cheesy movie moment, her past actually works as a plot device. For the first time in a while, I was impressed by the focus on female agency in a major film.
While the movie is definitely a home invasion thriller, it doubles as an advocate for female empowerment. Terri uses her previous experiences to take charge of her life and protect her family, and you’ll be cheering her along as she regains her agency.
By the end of the film, Terri is no longer just a housewife, as she shouldn’t be. She kicks ass, and rather than me screaming at the screen saying “Get up! Get up! Beat him!” I found myself cringing slightly at every blow dealt to Colin. Taraji P. Henson is extremely believable as Terri, so I feel kind of sorry for the man in her life. I’m also wondering why she isn’t given better material? Spectacular actress.
Where Terri has dimension and depth, her best friend Meg is her antithesis. She’s a realtor, annoyingly bubbly and basically a slut. Had her character been written properly, Meg could have been another powerful female presence rather than a stereotype. Her independence and sexual freedom morph into a caricature that’s painful to watch, especially with her interactions with Colin.
Colin, like Terri, is also a slight triumph for “No Good Deed.” Idris Elba plays the character well, adding a steely, brooding quality to Colin’s sociopathic tendencies. You’ll also really hate him.
Overall, “No Good Deed” fails. Elba and Henson can’t save it. A plot twist you really don’t see coming can’t save it. Nothing can save this mess of a film.
The film lacks believability. Most of the time, entries in the home invasion genre justify the situation, so there’s a reason – no matter how tenuous – for the madness. While the reason for Colin’s violence against Terri’s family is revealed near the end and does make some sense, there are so many other elements that just don’t add up – like Colin executing two prison guards at the very beginning and no ensuing manhunt. Come on, man. This is 2014. He would have been found and locked up faster than you can say flop, and no movie would have even happened.
Regardless, if you enjoy cheap thrills and a mindless plot, you should go see “No Good Deed.” Just don’t tell anyone that you did.
Rating: D
