The Tall Man Movie Review

The Tall Man Shockya Movie Review, Written by: Karen Benardello Director: Pascal Laugier (‘Martyrs,’ ‘House of Voices’) Starring: Jessica Biel, Jodelle Ferland (‘The Twilight Saga: Eclipse,’ ‘Cabin in the Woods’) and Jakob Davies (‘This Means War,’ TV’s ‘Once Upon a Time’) Small towns that thrive on a trade often experience economical and emotional difficulties when their success runs out and they’re forced to hang on to what remains of their former way of life. As the townspeople are forced to adjust to their new lifestyle, they never expect to face an even bigger sinister threat, as is the case in the new crime thriller ‘The Tall Man.’ The children of the isolated, former mining town of Cold Rock in the Pacific Northwest begin disappearing one by one without a trace, leading the leaders of the area to contend with the possibility that a supernatural entity is taking them. The film takes extreme risks as it forgoes the normal supernatural and horror elements normally associated with such a tale by infusing the character-driven story with emotional bonds and daring plot points. ‘The Tall Man’ follows the towns people of Cold Rock as they start to believe the children are being abducted by the title character, a mysterious entity. Julia (played by Jessica Biel) is skeptical of the legend, until her son David (portrayed by Jakob Davies) disappears in the middle of the night. She frantically sets out to save her son as she lives every parent’s worst nightmare. Julia begins to believe in the legend after seeing David being taken by the elusive supernatural figure, and declares she’ll stop at nothing to get him back. One of the local teenagers, Jenny (played by Jodelle Ferland), who is unable to speak due to her emotional neglect at home from her financially struggling family, offers to help Julia get David back. Jenny hopes in the process she, too, will be taken by The Tall Man and will be given a better life, despite the rest of the town’s outrage over the children’s disappearances. The crime mystery truly brought Laugier, who has become known for writing and directing such horror films as ‘Martyrs’ and ‘House of Voices,’ out of his comfort zone to create a high-energy, thought provoking social commentary on family life in a small, struggling town. While Julia and the police do embark on a action-packed search for David and the rest of the missing children after they are kidnapped, ‘The Tall Man’ eloquently forgoes solely focusing on their relentless search. The filmmaker also infused his intense, unpredictable story with characters who are determined to stand up for what they believe in, no matter what consequences they’re destined to face. To continue reading this review, please visit Shockya.