The Loft is a surprisingly entertaining film that keeps the audience in the dark as to its villain(s) until the very end. The fact the ending is logical and difficult to anticipate makes this movie an above average feature. There is also some solid acting from a cast not particularly known for the type of roles they are inhabiting.
The premise of the film is that five friends partner up to buy a loft where they can have complete privacy. Vincent (Karl Urban) is the man with the plan but his buddies Luke (Wentworth Miller), Marty (Eric Stonestreet) and Philip (Matthias Schoenaerts) eagerly commit to their share of payment and accept their keys. All of the men are married but this does not seem to be a problem except for Chris (James Marsden) who intends to be faithful to his wife (Rhona Mitra). His fidelity lasts until he meets Anne (Rachel Taylor) and falls completely in lust.
Now all five men are using the lift for their various trysts. Everything is going smoothly until one morning they discover a body in the bed. Since there is no sign of a break in and the alarm code has been entered they become suspicious of each other. Still all claim complete innocence, but in this film no one is who or what they claim to be.
Both Urban and Marsden have more screen time than the others so they could be considered the leads. However in this movie the supporting players get to have the meatier scenes. Stonestreet who is best known for his current role on Modern Family as Cameron, is a complete surprise here as the drunken, woman chasing Marty. Equally good is Miller, who once starred in the Fox series Prison Break. Here he is an intellectual and also a shy man.
The movie operates with a present day story interspersed with numerous flashbacks. In many movies this has proven to be an annoying way of telling a story and I generally prefer a linear approach. In this film, however, the back and forth storytelling works. Each flashback provides another peeling back of a layer of deception. There is one "aha" moment after another.
In The Loft movie the women are not the prominent players but Isabel Lucas and Taylor, who play Sarah and Anne, manage to make their presence known. Both are beautiful women and that adds to the validity of their roles.
The movie is rated R for violence, profanity and nudity.
The Loft arrived with little advance fanfare so it might not even be on your entertainment radar. If you like movies that keep you in the dark until the reveal then this is a movie you want to see. Believe me, it is so much better than you think it is going to be ,
I scored The Loft a high up 7 out of 10.
Jackie K. Cooper
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