Knock Knock (2015) – Review

Read Time:4 Minute, 9 Second

Knock Knock is, perhaps, Eli Roth’s most polite work to date (compared to Cabin Fever or Hostel series); yet, that doesn’t mean this offbeat home invasion thriller doesn’t know how to scare you. Without his ‘Splat Pack’ trademark in his previous ultra-gory exploitation thrillers, Eli Roth manages to deliver his disturbing charm viscerally—straight to place where you’re supposed to feel safe, home.

Roth’s exploitation gag brings home a couple of young girls (Lorenzo Izza and Ana de Armas) drenched by the rain who knock on the door of a former DJ, now an architect, Evan (Keanu Reeves). Well, it’s a rainy weekend when Evan is left home alone by his wife and his kids; meanwhile, his unexpected guests seemingly has an agenda to seduce Evan and drag him to a circumstance he’d never dreamed of. 

At least, Knock Knock gives a legitimate proof that making unexpected terror to give you extra creeps long after it’s finished is Eli Roth’s prowess. It begins with a simple harmless “coincidental” event and, in seconds, it suddenly becomes clear that something’s not right. Eli Roth has just begun building tension and uneasy atmosphere where out of sudden things gone insane as it stumbles from one madness to another—involving torture and vandalism.

As troublemakers, the despicable feat, Lorenza Izzo and Ana de Armas are crazy. They look seducing, they are; but not harmful. Yet, when their true nature gets unraveled then you get Knock Knock at its best—a joyride of repetitive torture that makes you feel uncomfortable and sick of it. Whether it’s intentional or not, but the repetition is what makes this thriller frustrating—in a good way and in a bad way. The thing is, it only goes around without what-so-called climax, which is kinda annoying.

On a different note, Keanu Reeves’ performance in Knock Knock is kinda letdown. He got the charm as a calm, loving husband in the beginning;but he’s just not into a male counterpart of ‘scream queen’. I always see him as a cool guy—whether the situation gone south or worse (The Matrix, Speed, John Wick)—but being a powerless guy is just not him. It gets annoying more when he’s supposed to deliver broken hope by his look and what he does is being over the top, instead.

Minus Keanu Reeves’ letdown performance, Knock Knock is still an exciting joyride if you like getting frustrated in a cinema. Although, it’s far from Eli Roth’s best filmography, Knock Knock is his polite salute to exploitation genre.

Knock Knock (2015)

Mystery, Horror, Thriller Directed by: Eli Roth Written by: Eli Roth, Nicolás López, Guillermo Amoedo Starred by: Keanu Reeves, Lorenzo Izza, Ana de Armas Runtime: 99 mins Rated R

IMDb // Official Site


Knock Knock mungkin film Eli Roth yang paling sopan (bandingkan dengan Cabin Fever atau Hostel); namun, tidak berarti thriller dengan bumbu home invasion ini tidak mampu membuatmu begidik. Tanpa trademark khas “Splat Pack”-nya, yang penuh darah dan potongan daging, Eli Roth tetap berhasil menampilkan pesona “disturbing” film-filmnya—tepat di tempat yang seharusnya aman, rumah.

Kehebohan dalam black comedy ini bermula dengan kedatangan dua orang gadis (Lorenzo Izaa dan Ana de Armas) ke rumah Evan Webber (Keanu Reeves). Kasihan kepada dua gadis yang mengetuk pintu rumahnya setelah mengaku salah alamat, apalagi mereka basah kuyup dan hujan makin deras di luar, Evan yang sedang ditinggal di rumah sendirian berniat membantu; namun, ternyata kedua gadis itu punya agenda sendiri. Agenda yang akan menggoda Evan untuk jatuh dalam situasi yang tak pernah ia impikan.

Setidaknya, Knock Knock membuktikan bahwa Eli Roth adalah master dalam menciptakan terror tak terduga yang membekas lama. Dimulai dengan kejadian kecil yang nampak tak berbahaya, namun dalam sekejap saja aura buruk mulai tercium. Eli Roth membangun tensi dan atmosfer tidak menyenangkan dan meledakkannya dengan berbagai kegilaan yang stumbling into each other—penuh torture dan vandalisme.

Sebagai troublemaker, Lorenza Izzo dan Ana de Armas lumayan gila. Mereka nampak menggoda dan tak berbahaya, namun ketika sifat aslinya terungkap—hanya sumpah serapah yang bisa terucap. Penampilan gila mereka mengekskalasi roller coaster penuh torture yang repetitif ini menjadi makin tidak nyaman dan memuakkan. Entah sengaja atau tidak, tapi repetisi adegan-adegannya sukses membuat frustasi meskipun film ini antiklimaks.

Namun, Keanu Reeves justru menjadi bagian terburuk Knock Knock. Sebagai suami yang penuh kasih sayang dan tenang, dia okay-okay saja; tapi begitu dituntut sebagai “scream king”, dia payah. Keanu selalu cocok sebagai karakter yang tenang dalam situasi apapun, namun sebagai suami tak berdaya ternyata bukanlah keahliannya. Makin buruk ketika ia harus menampilkan keputusasaan lewat air mukanya, yang malah ia tampilkan dengan over-the-top.

Minus penampilan mengecewakan Keanu Reeves, Knock Knock tetap menampilkan “kegilaan” bagi yang suka dibuat frustasi di dalam bioskop. Meskipun ini bukan film terbaik Eli Roth, Knock Knock membuktikan diri menjadi surat cintanya yang sopan kepada genre eksploitasi.


This Knock Knock review is written by Paskalis Damar. Review film Knock Knock ini diterjemahkan dalam Bahasa Indonesia oleh Paskalis Damar.

8 responses to “Knock Knock (2015) – Review”

  1. SciFi and Scary Avatar
    SciFi and Scary

    Honestly, minus Bill and Ted, when was the last time Reeves delivered a fantastic performance? Even as Neo he was… Keaunu Reeves dead-faced, monotone, kick-ass. Sounds like he’s a great dude personally, but even in John Wick he was..the same person he plays in all his films.

    1. Paskalis Damar AK Avatar
      Paskalis Damar AK

      True that! Therefore, when it comes to a movie which forces him to be “a different guy”, he’s overwhelmed. I saw it coming.
      Anyway, thanks for stopping by 🙂

  2. Jenna and Allie (@FlickChicksBlog) Avatar
    Jenna and Allie (@FlickChicksBlog)

    Oooh, I don’t normally ‘do’ horror, but this one sounds intriguing. How jumpy is it? That’s the only thing that stops me normally!
    – Allie

    1. Paskalis Damar AK Avatar
      Paskalis Damar AK

      It’s not that kind of horror. It’s more like torture horror in a home invasion thriller fashion or perhaps black comedy fashion. It won’t get as jumpy as you think, I bet you’ll only swear a lot on the run.

  3. Brittani Avatar
    Brittani

    I’m a fan of Roth so I will definitely check this out. I know when I first saw the trailer I got a little unsettled because all I could think about is “If the genders were switched, I don’t think this would be billed as a horror comedy.”

    1. Paskalis Damar AK Avatar
      Paskalis Damar AK

      Well, can’t agree more with you. The girls can be switched into anyone, but you know, Roth knows what he’s doing although his actor might not know it like him.

  4. Andrew Avatar
    Andrew

    Yeah…I don’t watch movies with Keanu Reeves in them anymore.

    LOL…but this sounds intriguing, I have to say.

    1. Paskalis Damar AK Avatar
      Paskalis Damar AK

      To my surprise, this kind of movie got a screening in an open cinema. Well, Keanu is the letdown so you know the drill, Andrew 🙂

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

error: Content is protected !!