Magnífica, de los mejores thrillers psicológicos que he visto en mucho tiempo. Nada más comenzar, de la forma en que lo cuentan, con esa tremenda ambientación, uno sabe que está ante algo muy grande. Un puñado de personajes, todos interesantes y con algo oculto, se unen de la manera más inverosímil posible, cruzando sus tramas de manera magnífica, con un guion bastante enrevesado que te mantiene sin quitar los ojos de la pantalla en ningún momento para no perderte detalle. Una historia atrapante y que llega un momento que te descoloca, cuando comienzas a ver detalles que no cuadran... y es entonces cuando la película da un giro total y te deja con la boca abierta. Si de algo he de quejarme, es de que dicho giro no llegue un poco después para darte la sorpresa final, podrían haber aguantado la sorpresa un poco más, pero eso no la hace menos interesante. Una película que vale la pena ver, y mucho.

On a stormy night a serial killer (Vince) is having a final stay of execution meeting with his lawyers and a kind Dr (Molina) who argue that he should be spared due to mental insanity. On the same night eleven strangers find themselves trapped at a secluded motel in the desert, with all roads flooded due to the storm. One by one they start to be murdered by another killer. As the body count rises, they begin to turn on one another. As the suspects list narrow, it seems that the killer may or may not be as they seem. This film has an interesting take on the late 90’s early 00’s thriller trope, with an unusual twist in the third act that some may not understand or personally like. I for one quite enjoyed what they did here, it was out of the ordinary, and it remains a memorable thriller. The ensemble cast all work well together, all either playing to their strengths such as Liotta, or playing a slightly meta version of themselves such as DeMornay, or playing completely against type such as McGinley. Cusack has proven that he can hold a film, and he plays the likeable ‘hero’ here as he usually does. At a tidy 90m run time, there are only really a few pacing issues throughout, but all in all, a pretty good film. 3/5

a review by Evan Landon In 2003, my mom and I went to go see this movie in the theater not knowing a thing about it, except that it was a mystery crime thriller. What was a big deal to me was that the trailer gave you very little information and gave nothing away except for the premise: ten strangers find themselves in a rundown motel in the Nevada desert at night and in the middle of a storm: an ex-cop turned limo driver; his passenger, a Hollywood actress; a cop transporting a convicted murderer; a Vegas sex worker; a newlywed couple; a family consisting of a mother (who was hit by the limo driver and is dying), the father, and son; and the man running the motel. One-by-one, all of the characters are killed off, just like in Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None to which served as an inspiration for this film and has had its own issues with the title. Twice, in fact. If you want, go ahead and look that one up, but don't say I didn't warn you! What I find wonderful about this movie, is that it all takes place in one location, for the most part, which is always a difficult thing to pull off. The set of the motel itself was created and filmed on Studio 27 for Sony Pictures, the very same that Wizard of Oz was filmed on. Producer Cathy Konrad had first let her husband, James Mangold, read the screenplay by Michael Cooney, who immediately wanted to direct it. As for underscoring, they tapped Angelo Badalamenti, but was replaced by Academy Award-winning composer, Alan Silvestri, giving it a very ominous tone that works on many different levels. The casting is top notch too: John Cusack is amazing as the limo driver/ex-cop who brings a certain gravitas to the film, also serving as the main protagonist. Ray Liotta (R.I.P) gives the film a volatile element, as the cop transporting Jake Busey's character to another prison. Amanda Peet pulls most of it together, portraying the sex worker, who is quite possibly the most wholesome character. John Hawkes plays the motel manager, who has had a very good career this past decades with a lot of great indie films. John C. McGinley, Clea DuVall, Alfred Molina, and Rebecca DeMornay round out the cast that makes it easy to identify with every character. They are all fantastic. As far as the writing goes, I think the strength of the characters is a bit weak, in the beginning. However, once the third act unfolds, it makes a lot more sense why they lacked a certain depth. I won't ruin that for you because you should definitely check this gem out. Raking in $90 million worldwide against a $28 million budget, this flick was definitely a well-deserved success. I could watch this one over and over again and still pick up easter eggs that fly under the radar. This is how you make a taught thriller. 4 out of 5

3.75⭐- The dark, stormy, rain soaked night in a desolate motel setting was chilling and fascinating. It got me hooked at the start itself and carried till the end. The twists and turns were silly and also brilliant, especially the ending twist was surprisingly funny and also shocking at the same time. At first, I thought this was gonna be a slasher, but to my surprise it was so much better than I expected. In the end, it was a solid psychological mystery thriller!

It's a clever script that is handled well by director James Mangold. It's very well paced and shot in a way that keeps you on edge throughout. The ensemble does some nice work. John Cusack is fantastic. 8.2/10