Thrillers with Hitchcock-style settings and limited space are already a rarity. Run, which was released last year, is a perfect example. Now, Till Death is following with a side of tension and mystery that is no less gripping. Till Death is directed by debutant filmmaker S.K. Dale, starring Megan Fox. After the Transformers series, her name has faded, and her last appearance in two box-office films was the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series half a decade ago. Through Till Death, Fox seemed to be trying to raise her name again.
The relationship between Emma (Fox) and her husband, billionaire Mark, is on the verge of collapse due to a third person. To relieve her husband’s heart, Emma was forced to accept the invitation to celebrate the wedding day, which turned out to be going to Mark’s villa by the lake. The next morning, unexpectedly, the husband committed suicide with Emma’s handcuffed with Mark’s body. Amid the snow and the condition of the empty and isolated villa, Emma tries to escape from this difficult situation.
The premise is indeed very attractive and fresh. Since the first act, the intensity is maintained very nicely on the mystery and suspense. The early stages were very boring, and I even thought this was a cheap “sex” film, all paid off with very adrenaline-fueling story development. Even with minimal characters and locations just here and there, the story moves dynamically from one room to another in the villa building. The tension side built by playing room by room, and the snowy weather element makes the movement of the characters narrower. There is no pause at all after the turning point of the plot to the climax. Everything builds up neat and solid. The debutant’s aesthetic touch also adds to the tension through composition, angle, and camera movement.
Till Death plays with limited stories, characters, and settings that blend well with its mystery and thriller sides. Megan Fox played well, and she is just right to play a character in these kinds of situations. It could be this role; it could get her a bigger role. It reminded me of a similar thriller, Vacancy (2007), directed by Nimrod Antal, which was his Hollywood debut before he finally directed the popular film franchise, Predators (2010). It could be that the debutant is just waiting for a time before directing a big film in the future. The filmmaker has potential skills that can still be polished. Let’s wait.
