Mark Reviews Movies: SHATTERED (2022)

Shattered, Lionsgate

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Review by Mark Dujsik | January 13, 2022

So many movies have given us the basic premise of Shattered that screenwriter David Loughery and director Luis Prieto would have to do a lot to keep us surprised and on our toes. They don't, ultimately and unfortunately, although there are a few touches to this variation on a couple of familiar ideas, characters, and plot conceits that occasionally show some promise.

The foundation here is an old thriller cliché: a seemingly innocent and adoring woman who turns out to be something completely different. The hazard of these stories is how easily they end up being sexist or downright misogynistic, as a generically "crazy" stalker causes assorted problems for some guy who needs to learn a lesson or two from the experience. Loughery kind of evades that issue by changing up the villain's primary motive, but to be sure, our main man, who definitely needs to learn some things in his own life, is the real focus here.

He's Chris (Cameron Monaghan), a guy in his 30s who earned a fortune making and selling a home security application (developed after inheriting some money), who already lives a retired life in a remote mansion, sitting on a hill outside a small town. Chris is generally suspicious and stubborn, if his soon-to-be ex-wife Jamie (Sasha Luss) is any accurate judge of his character. He refuses to sign the divorce papers, but she insists the marriage is finished. It's time for him to move on with his life.

While in town at the local grocery store, Chris gets that chance in the person of Sky (Lilly Krug), a sweet and lovely young woman who wants advice on what kind of wine she should buy. She's having troubles with her roommate at the moment, so after some friendly and hollow conversation, Chris obviously invites Sky back to his place, where their empty talking continues and their friendliness turns into a more energetically sexy time.

None of this is particularly convincing as a sincere romance—in part because Chris is so dull, Krug feels a bit fake, and the whole thing feels a bit too convenient. Those last two things, at least, make some sense as the relationship continues and the story reveals its actual purpose.

Sky and her roommate (played by Ash Santos) keep arguing, while the owner (played by John Malkovich) of the motel where they're staying demands the rent and is a bit too blatantly creepy with them. Chris meets up with Sky at the bar where she works, and looking to rescue her, he ends up being attacked by a man trying to break into his car. The would-be thief breaks Chris' leg. Sky volunteers to stay at the mansion as the convalescing Chris' in-house caretaker—with some other benefits, of course.

The filmmakers spend too much time attempting to keep us off track here, but once the inevitable reveal of Sky's true nature and real intentions arrives, things briefly click into place. There's a slightly refreshing turn, in that Sky's motives have nothing to do with romantic obsession (Some later twists and turns undermine that point). Krug's performance, which has seemed inauthentic, suddenly makes more sense and transforms into an intriguing one: a ball of external, chipper energy that's covering up just how ruthlessly cruel Sky can be—and increasingly is. Chris remains pretty dry as a protagonist, but his high-tech home security system certainly makes matters more complicated for him.

The specifics of the rest of the plot, of course, can't be divulged here, but the fundamentals, obviously, involve Sky trying to get what she wants from Chris, while the injured captive attempts to escape. Besides, one almost certainly will see all of the pins Loughery sets up to be knocked down later. Those include the creepy landlord who sees an opportunity for his own gain (The movie's attempts to raise class issues are dead-ends), a plan for Chris to see Jamie and their daughter Willow (Ridely Asha Bateman) in a few days, and a seemingly helpful stranger (played by Frank Grillo) who shows up at exactly the right moment to help Chris out of one of his more desperate moments.

Neither these setups nor the resulting, inescapable twists surprise, but there is some sinister fun to be taken from Krug's performance, an uncomfortably perverted turn from Malkovich, and Grillo's mercurial stranger. Those antagonistic characters are necessary for some of this to work more than it should—not only because our hero is so bland (The addition of more captives doesn't help), but also because the restricted plot works against itself so often. The plans and schemes here, as Sky tries to take Chris' life from underneath him, start to make less and less sense—unless one looks at them as ways to keep characters around and the story, as well as further complications, going well past the point of credulity.

Shattered features a couple of deviously clever setups, performances, and moments. Most of the movie, though, is defined by a familiar formula, which the filmmakers are too comfortable with to do anything more than the predictable.

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