Film Review: Alone

John Hyams is not necessarily a household name, but he is a name action fans might recognize due to his rejuvenation of the Universal Soldier series with Regeneration and Day Of Reckoning back in 2009 and 2012, respectively, bringing a stylish and thoughtful approach to material that you otherwise wouldn’t normally see. His latest film is Alone, a minimalist thriller that follows Jessica (Jules Willcox), a recently widowed woman who is making a move away from her home in Portland. Unfortunate for her, the trip will not go as smoothly as planned because she becomes the target of a nameless man (Marc Menchaca) with sinister intentions.

When I say minimalist, I truly mean that. Alone is a cat-and-mouse thriller that is stripped down to the bone. When we’re first introduced to Jessica, we don’t get a lot of exposition regarding her backstory, just vague notions of her recently experiencing some kind of trauma based on the brief conversations that she has on the phone with her parents. We do find out more about her past as the film goes on, and while it may not seem very necessary, it does inform our lead, and her sense of resilience and coming to her own after facing a traumatic event.

The film plays things out in a way that are very grounded, lacking some of the bombast or contrivances that we would usually suspend our disbelief for in similar takes on this kind of premise. She is followed, then kidnapped, she finds a way to escape, and is soon chased through the woods. It really is that simple, but the details put in towards committing to the realism is notable, and it brings a very visceral quality to the filmmaking, putting you in Jessica’s shoes as she tries to navigate through some really terrible circumstances.

The suspense is where the film really shines. Hyams’ skills as a filmmaker are front and center. It’s not be as outwardly stylish as some previous films – the only overt stylistic touches are these title cards to signify changes in location. However, it showcases his ability to get across a lot of information through the camera, through the blocking, and the staging of a setpiece. It’s effortlessly engaging, and further enhanced by Nima Fakhrara’s pulsating score, which has the sensation of a heartbeat that builds and builds throughout the narrative. It can be incredibly stressful at times, but that makes it all the more engaging.

Jules Willcox is terrific in the film. What makes something like this particular role hard is having to carry this weight from her tragic backstory for a significant portion of the film despite not relaying exactly what it is to the audience early on. She has to convey so much with so little, and she knocks it out of the park. Marc Menchaca has a deliciously crooked presence that balances his evil deeds with a seemingly mundane look. Anthony Heald also shows up as a helpful stranger, but his appearance remains brief. The film ultimately relies on the dynamic between Willcox and Menchaca, and it works in spades.

A film like Alone could easily run the risk of coming across as generic, and under less capable hands, it probably would have been. However, John Hyams is able to take Mattias Olsson’s tight script, and uses that foundation to build maximum tension within the northwestern wilderness. Throughout the film, I would think of something like Steven Spielberg’s Duel, and it delivers on the kind of lean, mean thrill machine that we last saw executed this well in Alexandre Aja’s Crawl from last year. The film is really engaging, suspenseful, well performed, and elegantly made. It further cements the ability of Hyams to bring a fresh take on seemingly stale material, and if you’re in the mood for a solid thriller, this will definitely get the job done.

Alone is now out in select theaters and VOD platforms.