Caught (Movie Review)

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

PLOT: The film tells the story of a journalist couple who invite a man and woman into their idyllic village home, but what begins with an informal interview descends into a nightmarish fight for survival.

REVIEW: Jamie Patterson’s CAUGHT is a film I have heard exactly zero things about before the call to review the film came across my desk earlier this morning. That said, I was intrigued by the film’s plot that centers are a couple of journalists that, after noticing strange military activity near their quaint little home, are visited by two handsome strangers who turn their British lives into a living nightmare. Sounds simple, intriguing, and comes with a political twist. Good times, right? Well, let’s find out.

The “journalist couple” that kicks off the film is played by Mickey Sumner (the upcoming SNOWPIERCER TV series)  and Ruben Crow (AUSTENLAND). I’m not overly familiar with either of these actors, as they are mostly known for British films and TV, so their solid performances only acted to make me believe I was watching real people up on the screen. Both Sumner and Crow turn in creditable performances, but not knowing the level of their star power, I was in a constant state of anxiety wondering if they were quick canon fodder or movie stars who were going to make it to the end. The stress begins…

Anyhow, this cute everyday British couple is just going about their lives, dealing with their new baby, and trying to investigate some strange military activity up on the hill when a couple of complete and utter “nutters” come knocking at their door. This new couple is played with almost robotic calmness by Cian Barry (NINA FOREVER) and April Pearson (SKINS). Dressed all in white and looking like Bible salesmen, Barry and Pearson introduce themselves as Mr. and Mrs. Blair. Something tells me that this isn’t going to go well… Mr. and Mrs. Blair are invited inside by our polite British hosts and before Mr. Blair can ask, cryptically, “Have you talked to Kay?” shite goes from awkward to “what in the everloving shite is going on here?”

From there, the film plays out as creepy but super stylish home invasion film. In fact, you could think of Jamie Patterson’s CAUGHT as “what if Wes Anderson directed a remake of Michael Haneke’s FUNNY GAMES” and you’d hit the socially awkward nail on the head. But if you think this film is merely a contained thriller about two rival couples battling it out for mysterious reasons, you’re in for more than a few surprises. You see, Mr. and Mrs. Blair quickly establish themselves as more than a kill-crazy couple ala Mickey and Mallory, and the stakes are a bit higher than a simple invasion of the home. And speaking of which, April Pearson’s arc throughout the movie is my favorite thing about the piece, and I’m sure it will be yours as well. But of course, I’m not going ruin any of that here.

What I will say is that Jamie Patterson’s CAUGHT isn’t a film for everyone. It’s strange and changes genres at a moment’s notice. It’s hard to know if the film is going for a brutal home invasion tone or a surreal vibe ala THE TWILIGHT ZONE and/or THE OUTER LIMITS. Just when things appear to be heading in a direction of camping cool, things get brutal. Eyes are gouged out with gory goodness and faces are caved in with bricks. Personally, I tend to dig flicks that keep you on your toes tone-wise so I had a mini-blast with CAUGHT. That said, if you’re a viewer that wants to know what kind of film you’re in for by the ten-minute mark, steer clear of CAUGHT as the tone (and horror subgenre) seem to change from scene to scene.

In the end, Jamie Patterson’s CAUGHT is a fun British horror mystery. Are Mr. and Mrs. Blair just your run-of-the-mill home invaders, or are they something more? Something more alien? More monstrous? I guess you’ll have to watch and find out. But again be warned, the film doesn’t play on a consistent tone and instead enjoys jumping willy-nilly from one odd subgenre of horror to the next. But if you’re down for something a little odd and intriguing, then you might just want to get caught up in CAUGHT. Basically, you can think of it as a bonus (if lesser) episode of Netflix’s BLACK MIRROR.

Caught

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