Hulu’s No Exit is an intense, brutal, and suspenseful thriller that, while predictable at times, is still a whole lot of fun.
Hulu’s No Exit is heart-poundingly intense, suspenseful, and has some brutal bloody moments that even I had to look away from — and I love me some blood and gore. This movie was far better than I expected it to be after watching the trailer. Sure, it is predictable at times, but it is still a whole lot of fun for anyone who loves a good thriller.
This movie is based off of a book, but I have not read it so I can’t compare it to that. However, as someone who knew nothing about the story going in, there were quite a few plot twists that I called ahead of time. No Exit follows Darby (Havana Rose Liu) as she leaves rehab in order to visit her dying mother in the hospital.
When the weather becomes too much to bear she must stop at a welcome center, where several others have been forced to do the same thing. Shortly after arriving she discovers a little girl (Mila Harris) who has been kidnapped in the back of a van. As the night goes on, and the storm gets worse, she must figure out who she can and can’t trust if she wants to help the girls survive night.
No Exit is just ninety minutes long which is the perfect length to tell a story like this. Even through the predictability, it is an edge of your seat thriller. This is largely in part due to the score selection, the cinematography, and the lighting. Even if you think you know who is behind it all, and what their motivations are, you won’t be able to stop your heart from pounding as the film reveals itself.
One of my favorite parts about this movie is that you don’t have to wait a very long time to figure out who the kidnapper is. Because of this No Exit is able to really sit in the moments of suspense and intensity as we all wait to see how Darby handles herself and the situation.
She doesn’t always make the best decisions, and there is a good chance that most viewers will be screaming at her through their screens — but is a movie truly a horror /thriller if this doesn’t happen at least once?
Liu and Harris are both great in this movie, and have some good chemistry together as well. For such a small cast, with the entire film centering around them, every single person has their moment to shine. My biggest complaint is that there are a couple of flashbacks that just feel shoved in there. Perhaps that is an editing issue, rather than a story issue, because I do get that they need to be there for the movie to work, they just aren’t seamless.
As someone who is a massive fan of blood and gore in my thrillers, No Exit gave me exactly what I was looking for. It is brutal, bloody, and grotesque — there is one scene in particular that even I had to look away from, and I loved every second of it. It isn’t too over the top to the point where it feels out of place though.
Related: No Exit Cast Praises Young Mila Harris & More In Interview
As I said before, a lot of this movie is predictable, especially with those familiar with the thriller genre and typical tropes. That said, as someone who has not read the book, there were still some surprises in store. There is one twist that comes completely out of nowhere – towards the end – that was very much appreciated. My jaw was on the floor and I was shocked that I did not see it coming.
If you enjoy thrillers and suspenseful movies though, No Exit is certainly for you. Even if you put together the pieces, the journey is a complete blast. Filled with suspense, get ready to have your heart pounding as you live on the edge of your seat for over an hour.
Rating: 3 out of 5
About No Exit
In “No Exit,” Havana Rose Liu (“Mayday”) makes her feature film leading role debut as Darby, a young woman en route to a family emergency who is stranded by a blizzard and forced to find shelter at a highway rest area with a group of strangers.
When she stumbles across an abducted girl in a van in the parking lot, it sets her on a terrifying life-or-death struggle to discover who among them is the kidnapper.
Directed by Damien Power (“Killing Ground”) from a screenplay by Andrew Barrer & Gabriel Ferrari (“Ant-Man and the Wasp”) based on Taylor Adams’ 2017 novel and produced by PGA Award winner Scott Frank (“The Queen’s Gambit”), the film stars Havana Rose Liu, Danny Ramirez (“The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” “Top Gun: Maverick”), David Rysdahl (“Nine Days”), Dale Dickey (“Winter’s Bone), Mila Harris (“Young Dylan”) and Dennis Haysbert (“Breakthrough”).
