No Good Deed (2014 film)
| No Good Deed | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Sam Miller |
| Written by | Aimée Lagos |
| Produced by | Will Packer Lee Clay |
| Starring | Idris Elba Taraji P. Henson |
| Cinematography | Michael Barrett |
| Edited by | Randy Bricker |
| Music by | Paul Haslinger[1] |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Screen Gems |
Release date |
|
Running time | 84 minutes |
| Land | Vereinigte Staaten |
| Sprache | Englisch |
| Budget | $13.2 million[2] |
| Box office | $54.3 million[2] |
No Good Deed is a 2014 American psychological thriller film directed by Sam Miller and written by Aimée Lagos. The film stars Idris Elba, Taraji P. Henson, Kate del Castillo, Mark Smith, Henry Simmons, Wilbur Fitzgerald and Frank Brennan. The film was released on September 12, 2014.
Despite negative critical reception, the film was a box office success and received two Image Award nominations, winning one for Taraji P. Henson's performance.[3]
Plot
Colin Evans (Idris Elba) has been sentenced to 10 to 15 years in prison for manslaughter in the state of Tennessee, after beating a man to death in a bar (the man in question was eyeing his then-girlfriend). Colin is suspected of murdering five young women, but couldn't be tried due to lack of evidence. He is eligible for parole after serving five years , and during his parole hearing, Colin charms the parole board. He claims to be a changed man who is remorseful for his crime, and brings up a reading program he started in prison. One of the board members, a criminal psychiatrist called Dr. Ross (Wilbur Fitzgerald), informs his colleagues that beneath Colin's charming facade is a malignant narcissist who reacts violently to rejection or not getting his way. As parole in Tennessee requires a unanimous vote, he is ordered back to prison for another five years, until it's time for the next hearing. Frustrated and furious, Colin, having befriended the two guards transporting him, feigns a nosebleed and brutally shoots both of them dead.
In Atlanta, Terri Granger (Taraji P. Henson) is home with her young children. Her best friend Meg (Leslie Bibb) suggests that Terri relax and not stress herself with her children and husband Jeffrey (Henry Simmons). Meg knows that Terri's relationship with Jeffrey has been taxing. Hence, Meg tells her not to worry and that she will visit her at night for a 'girls' night' to cheer Terri up. When Jeffrey arrives home, he immediately starts packing and preparing to spend his father's birthday on a golfing trip. He reminds her (when she complains about her situation) that she chose to be a stay-at-home-mom, then leaves her and his kids behind.
Colin stalks his ex-fiancée Alexis (Kate del Castillo) and witnesses her meeting another man at an outdoor cafe. She greets the man with a hug and joins him at a table. Colin follows her home where he confronts her on not reading his letters from prison. He also demands to know if she cheated on him. When Alexis admits that she did, Colin, in a blind rage, throttles her before breaking her neck and beating her corpse with a lamp. Later, Colin is driving on a dark road in a terrible storm and loses control of his car, crashing it into a tree. Walking down the road, he notices one house with the lights on, and it is Terri's. He rings her doorbell and asks her if he can use her phone to call for a tow truck. She is at first apprehensive, but she gives him the phone. They engage in chit chat, and, feeling more comfortable with the mystery man, she invites him inside. Terri reveals that before she married and had children, she was a criminal prosecutor for the District Attorney's office. Colin tells Terri that he just broke up with his fiancée because she was cheating on him.
Meg arrives at the house and is shocked to see Colin. When she inquires about where he lives, he is evasive. Later, the three talk and share glasses of wine. When Terri leaves momentarily to comfort her baby, Meg and Colin are left alone. Colin excuses himself for a cigarette break. Meg follows him into the garage, smokes with him and resumes her inquiries about him. Colin suggests that he is having an affair with Terri, but Meg doubts Terri would not have previously confided this. Meg bluntly tells him that his story "doesn't add up" and declares that she will find out the truth. She begins to call out to Terri, but Colin quickly grabs a shovel and bashes Meg in the head with it, killing her.
Terri returns to the hall after putting her baby to bed and is surprised to see that Meg is not there. Colin tells Terri that Meg left, but Terri is suspicious, especially when she sees Meg's umbrella in the stand. Terri finally deduces that Colin is not the kind stranger that he pretended to be. Alarmed, she rushes to the kitchen to call the police, only to find out that Colin has disconnected all the wires and hidden all of her knives. She realizes that she and her children are in danger, and she rushes to her daughter Ryan's bedroom, finding Colin playing with the child. Seeing a firearm in his back pocket, she takes the girl away and puts her to bed. As they walk out of Ryan's bedroom, Terri hits him with a fire extinguisher after spraying him in the face with it. He falls down the stairs, and she runs to get her children, but as she leaves Ryan's room, she sees that Colin has recovered. He tells her to put the children back in their rooms and threatens her with his cocked gun. Terri obeys him (including taking her clothes off in his presence). When he bends down to put on his shoes, she manages to strike him unconscious and locks herself into her home office where there is a fax machine. She dials 911 for help. Colin recovers and breaks down the door to the office. He yanks the phone out of her hand just as she is explaining her situation to the dispatch. She stabs him and runs for it, but he corners her in the kitchen and fires a warning shot. Terri begs Colin to leave, as she has already alerted the police and he is injured. Colin ignores her plea, and forces her to take the children into her vehicle and drive away with him. While walking out of the garage, Terri sees Meg's dead body on the floor.
Tearfully, Terri asks him why he is doing this; Colin replies that she will see for herself soon. He refuses to tell her their destination. As they pass a police car on the road, Terri flashes her headlights when she thinks Colin is not looking, hoping to catch their attention. The police car forces them to pull over, and Colin grabs her baby to force her to act normal while the policeman questions them. Ryan indirectly reveals to the cop that Colin isn't Terri's husband, and he orders her out of the car alone. Terri is eventually coaxed by him into revealing that Colin has kidnapped her, and the policeman pretends to let her go while ordering her not to move so he can arrest the abductor. Unfortunately, the convict catches on and shoots the officer dead before he can rescue his hostages. Colin then forces Terri back into the car.
Colin makes Terri drive to Alexis' house. She panics when she sees Alexis' dead body in the bedroom. As she tries to find the first aid kit in the house, the high winds from the storm cause Terri's car alarm to activate. Worried that the noise will attract attention, Colin binds her hands behind her back and her feet with medical gauze while he goes to check on the car. As Colin exits the house, Alexis' phone rings. Terri manages to answer the phone and is surprised to hear the voice of her husband Jeffrey, who is calling Alexis to find out why she has not arrived at the hotel for a rendezvous with him. Terri realizes that he was not out of town with his father after all and has been having an affair with Alexis. She also realizes that Colin appearing at her doorstep was no coincidence, and that he seeks lethal revenge on Jeffrey due to his affair with Alexis. Terri tells her surprised husband the truth and has him call 911. She misleads Colin into thinking that she and her children have escaped. When Colin discovers her, she attacks him, eventually grabbing his gun and shooting him until he falls out of a window to his death.
The police arrive along with Jeffrey. He tells Terri that he is sorry and that Alexis meant nothing to him. Not saying a word but visibly upset, Terri punches Jeffery in the face and walks away. Sometime later, a much more confident Terri returns to her career and has moved into a new house with her children.
Cast
- Idris Elba as Colin Evans
- Taraji P. Henson as Terri Granger
- Leslie Bibb as Meg, Terri's friend
- Kate del Castillo as Alexis, Colin's ex-fiancee
- Henry Simmons as Jeffrey Granger, Terri's husband
- Mark Smith as EMT
- Wilbur Fitzgerald as Dr. James Ross
- Mirage Moonschein as Ryan Granger, Terri and Jeffrey's daughter
Production
Filming of No Good Deed began in April 2012 in Atlanta, Georgia.[4]
Release
No Good Deed was initially set to be released on October 18, 2013. In January 2013, Screen Gems announced the film would be moved to open on January 17, 2014, at the beginning of the MLK Holiday weekend. This date conflicted with another Will Packer-produced film, Ride Along, a Universal Pictures release that stars Ice Cube and Kevin Hart. For this reason, in April 2013, the studio pushed back No Good Deed's release date for a second time to April 25, 2014. Yet again, in early October 2013 (and giving no specific reason), Screen Gems for a third time pushed backed the release date of the film to September 12, 2014.[5][6] Sony Pictures Releasing debuted the first official trailer for the film on June 12, 2014.[7][8] No Good Deed was released on Blu-ray and DVD on January 6, 2015.[9]
Box office
No Good Deed was released on Friday, September 12, 2014. The film was #1 at the domestic box office over the 3-day weekend, grossing $24,250,283 at 2,175 North American theaters ($11,150 per theater average).[10] The film was producer Will Packer's third #1 film of 2014, following Ride Along and Think Like a Man Too.[11] No Good Deed grossed $54,323,210 worldwide.[2]
Reception
No Good Deed has received generally negative reviews from critics. Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a rating of 11% based on reviews from 53 critics. The site's consensus reads, "Dull, derivative, and generally uninspired, No Good Deed wastes its stars' talents -- and the audience's time."[12] Metacritic gives the film a weighted average score of 26 out of 100 based on reviews from 17 critics.[13]
The audience for No Good Deed was 60 percent female, 59 percent over the age of 30. Filmgoers gave the movie a "B+" CinemaScore.[10]
Soundtrack
| No Good Deed | |
|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by | |
| Released | September 9, 2014 |
| Genre | Score |
| Label | Madison Gate Records |
Screen Gems and Madison Gate Records released the soundtrack to the film No Good Deed digitally and physically on September 9, 2014.[14] The 15-track album contains the film's original score composed by Paul Haslinger.[15][16]
"No Good Deed offered a great opportunity to re-explore a style of score I had first developed for the film Vacancy; music designed to enhance psychological qualities in the telling of a story, in this case, a rather dark one. My personal preference for this kind of approach is to mix classic film noir elements with music, sound-design elements; sometimes alternating, sometimes superimposing them. The goal ultimately was to connect the headspace of the characters with that of the audience, to make the audience feel the threads of the story as they watch it unfold. Working off great performances by Idris Elba and Taraji P. Henson, this was a unique and rewarding project to be involved with!" - Paul Haslinger.[17]
All music is composed by Paul Haslinger
| No. | Titel | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "On This Day" | Paul Haslinger | 2:19 |
| 2. | "The Parole Hearing" | Paul Haslinger | 1:24 |
| 3. | "The Accident" | Paul Haslinger | 1:15 |
| 4. | "Leaving For The Weekend" | Paul Haslinger | 1:14 |
| 5. | "Watching Alexis" | Paul Haslinger | 0:59 |
| 6. | "17 Creston Lane" | Paul Haslinger | 1:01 |
| 7. | "It Is All A Game" | Paul Haslinger | 2:31 |
| 8. | "At The Door" | Paul Haslinger | 1:21 |
| 9. | "Please Come Home" | Paul Haslinger | 1:21 |
| 10. | "We Have To Leave" | Paul Haslinger | 1:54 |
| 11. | "The Traffic Stop" | Paul Haslinger | 2:49 |
| 12. | "Why Are You Doing This?" | Paul Haslinger | 1:31 |
| 13. | "Your Girlfriend Is Dead" | Paul Haslinger | 2:42 |
| 14. | "Fight For Life" | Paul Haslinger | 1:24 |
| 15. | "Terri's New Beginnings" | Paul Haslinger | 2:03 |
| Total length: | 26:29 | ||
See also
References
- ^ "Paul Haslinger Scoring 'No Good Deed'". Film Music Reporter. October 14, 2013. Retrieved October 14, 2013.
- ^ a b c "No Good Deed (2014) - Box Office Mojo". September 12, 2014. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
- ^ https://www.naacpimageawards.net/46th/nominees/
- ^ Blay, Zeba (March 3, 2012). "Idris Elba and Taraji P Henson join 'No Good Deed'". Digital Spy. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
- ^ "Sony/Screen Gems Pushes Release Date For 'No Good Deed' To April 2014". indiewire.com. April 15, 2013. Retrieved May 12, 2013.
- ^ Obenson, Tambay A. (October 10, 2013). "For The 3rd Time, Screen Gems Pushes Back Release Date For 'No Good Deed' - By 5 Months". Indiewire. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
- ^ Anderton, Ethan (13 June 2014). "Idris Elba Invades Tiraji P. Henson's Home in 'No Good Deed' Trailer". firstshowing.net. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
- ^ No Good Deed - Official Trailer - In Theaters September 12th. 12 June 2014 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Surprise Box Office Hit 'No Good Deed' Coming to Blu-Ray DVD in January". Indiewire. November 4, 2014. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
- ^ a b Subers, Ray (September 14, 2014). "Weekend Report: 'No Good Deed' Succeeds, 'Guardians' Passes $300 Million". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
- ^ Clark, Trent (September 15, 2014). "Will Packer Scores Third #1 Movie of 2014 With No Good Deed". Hip-Hop Wired. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
- ^ "No Good Deed". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved December 30, 2014.
- ^ "No Good Deed Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 30, 2014.
- ^ "No Good Deed Soundtrack List". Soundtrack Mania. September 9, 2014. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
- ^ "'No Good Deed' Soundtrack Details". Film Music Reporter. September 8, 2014. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
- ^ "No Good Deed Soundtrack (2014)". Soundtrack.Net. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
- ^ Obenson, Tambay A. (September 9, 2014). "Exclusive: The 'No Good Deed' Soundtrack Is Out Today. Listen to One of Its Tracks". Indiewire. Retrieved January 10, 2015.