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Tyler Savage’s follow-up to 2017’s Inheritance is a taut thriller that exploits our fears of technology as well as much more.
Andy (Vincent Van Horn) has moved to LA from Texas following a relationship breakup. While having a quite beer one night, he starts talking to a woman, Sam (Christine Ko), and the pair go back to her house. They take a ‘ride-share’ cab, and have a pleasant night. The following day, Andy bumps into the driver, Roger (Michael Lee Joplin), and they get chatting. Being new in town, Roger offers to take Andy for a drink and they strike up a friendship. It’s clear after a few days, though, that Roger is a needy friend and Andy stops replying to his messages. A big mistake, as he soon begins to make Andy’s life a misery.
We’ve seen this scenario many times before. Admittedly, it’s usually a spurred lover (Roger even laughs “play Misty for me” at one point) rather than besotted friend, but fortunately the script (by Savage and Dash Hawkins) takes us to a few unexpected places. It’s easy to get caught up in the frustration Andy feels and Van Horn plays the role of perplexed victim perfectly. Michael Lee Joplin is suitably creepy, unhinged, and unpredictably psychotic.
The climax takes things to an unforeseen level and makes up for the familiar beats along the way. You might not be so quick to strike up a conversation with that stranger after this.
