Megan Fox has always been an actress that has been harshly judged by Hollywood. To her critics she was always considered as one of those actresses that got her start with the Transformers franchise because of her looks. What those critics haven’t noticed is how Fox has evolved since those films.
Roles in cult films like Jonah Hex and Jennifer’s Body showed that she had talent, while many wouldn’t admit it but she was pretty much the best thing about 2014’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Over the last couple of years though we have seen the talents of Ms Fox go out of sight as she stole the show with her portrayal of a Mum in Think Like A Dog and showed true action star qualities in the lead role in the gritty Rogue.
Now with the new suspense thriller Till Death we see Fox in what is perhaps her best role to date. She has to go to some dark and emotional places with her portrayal in a film where she features in nearly every scene.
Here Fox plays tortured photographer Emma who has been suffering since she was robbed and attacked by the vengeful Bobby Ray (Callan Mulvey – Captain America: The Winter Soldier). Emma married the District Attorney Mark (Eoin Macken – The Forest) who helped her put away Bobby Ray but their marriage has been less than happy.
Mark has turned into a money hungry lawyer who has affairs while Emma has turned to Mark’s collegue Tom (Aml Ameen – The Maze Runner) for love and compassion however she is too afraid to leave Mark. Now with their anniversary at hand Mark has organised a surprise getaway for an anxious Emma who is worried about the fact that Bobby Ray is about to be released from prison.
Reading through the simple plot it sounds like you can work out exactly what is going to happen, but that is certainly not the case. Screenwriter Jason Carvey (A New Wave) has created a twisted thriller that Australian director S.K. Dale (The Coatmaker) has had an absolute field day with.
Any question of Megan Fox’s acting abilities are shot to hell with this film. Fox is brilliant here as Emma, she portrays the vulnerable side of a scared and lost woman amazingly well and then backs it with true grit and determination as she is left a character that has to fight for her life. There is little doubt that this is the kind of role that would have taken Fox to some pretty dark places to get inside what is happening to her character and she does that really well.
As a director Dale asks a lot of Fox. Not only is she in tough scenes, she is in truly harrowing scenes and to her credit Fox pulls them off easily. This is the kind of performance that will quieten even her toughest critics… and rightfully so.
Credit must also go to Jason Carvey and S.K. Dale. This is just another run-of-the-mill thriller. Now way, there are twists and turns that occur here that even the most hardened cinema goer won’t predict. I’ll admit one made me jump because I certainly wasn’t expecting it and I can normally pick what is going to happen in most thrillers.
As a director Dale uses the environment around him to create a tense thriller that never allows the audience to settle in their seat. He also brings out the best in his cast. The scenes where Fox and Mulvey go toe-to-toe are absolutely sensational and the result is the kind of the film that you just want to sit down and watch again straight after seeing it for the first time.
Till Death is a sensational thriller with twists and turns galore. The film showcases the true acting talent of Megan Fox while also showing Hollywood that we have a talented young director in our midst when it comes to SK. Dale. This unpredictable thriller is a must see for those that like surprises at every turn.
3.5/5
