Synopsis:
Five married guys conspire to secretly share a penthouse loft in the city–a place where they can carry out hidden affairs and indulge in their deepest fantasies. But the fantasy becomes a nightmare when they discover the dead body of an unknown woman in the loft, and they realize one of the group must be involved.
The Loft has been released under Signature Entertainment and instantly this put me on the back foot because I have seen some questionable films released under their name, such as, Knight Templar, Viking and Smiley. However, The Loft surprised me and it was an almost welcome relief from my usual diet of blood, guts and mayhem.
The Loft follows 5 dudes who are all very successful in their own right, but one thing they have in common is that they all have boring, miserable, nagging wives. Well, that’s what they say anyway. Vincent, who is played by the man with the best lips in showbiz, Karl Urban (Dredd) proposes that they should all invest in a penthouse loft apartment. The apartment is absolutely beautiful, modern with fantastic views overlooking the city, state of the art technology and impressive décor. A massive improvement on the usual man caves which the majority of men can only dream of!
But, with this pad comes a great responsibility, for there are only 5 keys, one for each member of the group. In order to keep their extra marital affairs secret, no one is allowed to tell their respective wives of its existence. However, things go a bit awry when they discover a dead woman in the love nest.
This is where it becomes interesting because each friend becomes extremely suspicious of each other, and as the story unfolds we are given a series of flashbacks so that we can try and make sense of what has happened. I guess it makes you feel that you are part of the story because you are constantly trying to solve the mystery at the same time as the characters.
The acting is of an exceptional standard and there are many faces that will be instantly recognisable. Along with Karl Urban we have Wentworth Miller (Prison Break), Eric Stonestreet (Modern Family), Matthias Schoenaerts (The Drop) and last but not least James Marsden (X Men/Enchanted) who unfortunately does not break into song.
Of course joining the boys we have the girls Rhona Mitra (Underworld), Valerie Cruz (Cellular), Kali Rocha (Liv and Maddie), Elaine Cassidy (No Offence) and Margarita Levieva (The Invisible).
The Loft is a remake of the 2008 Dutch language Belgian film ‘Loft’ and Erik Van Looy directed both. As yet I haven’t seen the original but I am definitely interested in watching it so I can how it compares to the American version.
It is very much an all thriller no filler film because but it always keeps you second guessing. There are so many twists and turns, which often throw you off scent.
I didn’t feel that it’s a film that would draw me into the cinema to watch on the big screen, but it is one that I was very happy watching in the comfort of my own home. I thought it was intelligently written, well directed and one that keeps your interest throughout.
Words by Amanda Hunt @man_ders11
