Across the Hall (2009) Reviews

• Suspenseful .. predictable ..

  JarfGartz2009-08-24

  An interesting story, though a little predictable. The suspense was upheld throughout the movie, and there was real tension in many scenes, accomplished through a nerve-wracking score and drawn-out scenes that got my teeth grinding. I immensely enjoyed the cinematography and effects .. it created a dark and brooding atmosphere that had me mourning the conclusion before it came about. The acting was fairly good, no real complaints. I especially enjoyed the hotel concierge character, who added an old-school feel to the film. Overall, I definitely enjoyed the movie, although I found the story to be almost too simple for its length; it felt like a short story stretched to fit a feature length film.

• Excellent!

  TheyKallMeDood2009-08-27

  I have read many complaints on how this is "boring" and the scenes are dragged out. I can see how many people are not used to intelligent movies (no offense intended) due to the constant action and cheap scares released in theaters these days. THIS is a movie that deserves a theater release. A very intelligent thriller, with a superb cast that tells a very dark story. The 3 main actors, especially Brittany Murphy, really did an excellent job. The story is told in a flashback/memento way and is executed perfectly. I felt all the flashbacks were correctly positioned and the conclusion might not blow you away- but it's pretty damn good. There are numerous twists and turns but the final twist is jaw-dropping. I want more thrillers like this! 10/10

• Tense, Dramatic but Could Be Shorter

  claudio_carvalho2010-04-05

  The unbalanced Terry (Danny Pino) calls his best friend Julian (Mike Vogel) that is having a bath telling that his beloved fiancée June (Brittany Murphy) is cheating him. Terry has followed her to the decadent Riverview Hotel, where she checked in to meet her lover in room 507. Terry explains to Julian that he brought a revolver to shoot her lover and is waiting for him in room 508, but his friend asks him to be calm that he will meet Terry in the hotel. Surprisingly Julian leaves the bathroom and explains the situation to June in the room in the beginning of a tense and dramatic night. "Across the Hall" is a dark slow paced thriller in the style of film- noir developed through a non-linear screenplay with many flashbacks. My only remark is the 88 minutes running time that could be a little shorter; anyway the pace magnifies the dramatic situation of the characters. I have really felt sad seeing the last work of the talented and gorgeous Brittany Murphy, who died so young. The music score is another plus in this good film that is neither a masterpiece nor an awful flick as indicated in some reviews but a decent low-budget movie. My vote is six. Title (Brazil): "Correndo Contra o Tempo" ("Running Against Time")

• Slooooooooow

  equazcion2009-08-18

  A sort of film noir, Across the Hall is dark, nonlinear, twisty, and above all, slow. Basically, a love triangle gone wrong ends in murder, betrayal, and so forth. It's almost Hitchcockian, as the entire movie takes place in a creepy old hotel, with almost no mention of the outside world or any prior events. This is definitely not for the impatient, as it seems to stretch a half-hour's worth of events into an hour and a half. The slow pace adds to the ominous, brooding atmosphere they were clearly going for. I can't help thinking I would've enjoyed this more as a short. The dank old hotel, the creepy slow-witted bellhop, and the dark, dreamy Matrix-like photography provided more than enough atmosphere on their own. The story is told in nonlinear fashion, with scenes appearing out of order, sort of like Pulp Fiction. Only here, the story is intentionally harder to follow, especially in the beginning. You get the hang of it towards the middle somewhere. The filmmakers clearly thought it would be more interesting to show certain results first, before showing the circumstances leading up to them, which seems to me like a terribly easy way to create suspense and the illusion of twists. The ending is presented in the oft-copied Usual Suspects fashion, which is all too common nowadays, showing up in movies whose twists are not nearly as deserving. While you're sitting through the disjointed climax, which is wrought with slow-motion and typically climactic music, if you're anything like me, you'll start mentally listing plot holes and thinking about how the film is trying to look more ingenious than it actually is. The movie is well-produced and good looking, Brittany Murphy is beautiful as ever, and all the acting is above par.

• Brittany Murphy's last film made before her tragic death.

  jaybob2010-02-10

  This is not a terrible or overly boring film. It is a typical 'b-movie' made by Universal at Universal Studios, using a rebuilt portion of the vast 'Phantom of the Opera' set. This is a mystery-suspense type film that Universal used to be famous for. This particular film was directed by newcomer Alex Merkin, this is a full length version of a short film he made in 2005. The director has talent & I will be looking for other films from him. The cast comprises actor who are not yet to be widely known to audiences. The 2 male leads are done by Mike Vogel & Danny Pino, They & the rest of cast is quite talented. Brad Greenquist portrays the somewhat creepy porter effectively. This also happened to be the last film Brittany Murphy made before her tragic death in late 2009. 'Tis a pity as she was more than just a pretty face, she could act. For a low budget film the production values are OK. I would have liked it better if the script was more coherent. It could & should have been about 75 minutes long & not 93. This type film should never be longer than 75 minutes.Non-the-less the rating would never have been too much higher, its just not that type film, For what it is its an OK film. Ratings:**1/2 (out of 4) 67 points (out of 100) IMDb 6 (out of 10)