Trailerblazing -- 10x10

10x10 -- April 13, 2018 -- directed by Suzi Ewing -- starring Luke Evans, Kelly Reilly, Noel Clarke, Olivia Chenery

  

   
Let me get something out of the way -- I am tired of films featuring women as captives. In the last two years alone, there were Split, Don't Breathe and Berlin Syndrome. This year, we are getting 10x10 and Bad Samaritan. I am starting to suspect that the 10x10 screenplay was chosen for production due to the current trend, one that is getting more clichéd and tiresome by the minute. How about a different cinematic spin on kidnappings? A bit of turning the tables never hurt anyone. On that note, Breaking In looks great. However, I digress. Based on online tidbits, the latest iteration is a bit different from the previous ones, but not nearly enough. Reilly and Evans are both so much better than this type of story -- check out Flight, "True Detective", High-Rise and The Girl on the Train -- and I am just hoping that they will be able to elevate the material. The film's visual style does not inspire confidence, either. It looks like a gritty and violent tale without any sense of redemption and, in this era of breaking news and unpredictable events, I do not think that 10x10 is the best or any form of escapism. Eh... the leads might get you to watch, but I am not sure if they will get you to stay. Think long and hard before checking it out.