Windfall (2022) Review!!

Synopsis – A man breaks into a tech billionaire’s empty vacation home, but things go sideways when the arrogant mogul and his wife arrive for a last-minute getaway.

My Take – I am not sure about others, but till date I have found most of these supposed pandemic conceived outputs to be highly disappointing, of course, director Steven Soderbergh‘s Kimi was a massive exception. Considering the talents involved, I honestly expected to see more uniqueness brought in to these modest-scale stories, and to effectively use their small-cast and limited-space settings.

Thankfully, this latest from director Charlie McDowell, who had previously helmed one of my favorite films of all time, The One I Love (2014), is at least decent attempt.

Conceived and written as a Hitchcockian thriller by Justin Lader, Andrew Kevin Walker, Charlie McDowell and Jason Segel, this one is a bare bones hostage thriller featuring only three actors (plus a fourth in a limited appearance), set in an isolated setting and is presented as a seemingly straightforward film offering simple solutions at the start. But as it proceeds it slowly grows increasingly complex, keeping viewers engaged and inquisitive right to its shocking ending.

Sure, while some might find the film’s unhurried pace along with the hostage pair’s laid back attempt to escape frustrating, however, the dialogue-heavy screenplay that is ripe with awkward, winks of levity, and lengthy stretches of silence undoubtedly end up creating some satisfyingly rewarding chill yet high-stress situations.

The story follows a nobody (Jason Segel), who breaks into an unoccupied vacation home to steal money and valuables from it, but as he prepares to leave, he is unexpectedly interrupted by the arrival of the owner, a wealthy tech CEO (Jesse Plemons) and his wife (Lily Collins). With options limited, the man takes the CEO and his wife captive and extorts a large sum of money from them as tensions escalate not only between captor and captive, but also the CEO and his wife.

What follows is unsettling and suspenseful and very, very tense.

The latest film from director Charlie McDowell, now streaming on Netflix, is a Hitchcockian throwback, an exercise in restrained, clear film-making and the tension that arises when you put three people and a gun in a room together. In the beginning, the film comes across a largely harmless hostage situation featuring these nameless characters, but as it progresses, we get to know there’s more to it than what meets the eye.

Each character arrives onscreen and reveals a little about themselves, even though they’re trying not to. The more time they spend together, the more they reveal, even when it’s bad for them. They can’t help being who they are.

While like many home invasion thrillers, the one too is a cat and mouse game involving the invader’s objective for money or something else, here, the spotlight is on the thematic subtext of class disparity and divides the characters through their socio-economic statuses.

Right from the arrogance of the billionaire and his shunning of the world that is supposedly filled with freeloaders and nobodies, to the thief being credited as a nobody, the film tries to tap into that working class frustration seen with paradigm shifts in our economy that have left many behind with absolutely no plan or consideration for where they go, albeit with a dialed back humor and a way grimmer approach.

Sometimes the humor and the suspense collide and either mix or trade off, but with a run time of just 92 minutes the film ends up being pleasingly and nervously likable.

A major factor for that is of course thanks to the strength of its leads. Jason Segel playing against type in a more serious role makes it possible to sympathize with his characters, to see his decisions as the result of having no choices. Though he can’t help but bring out his goofy side, Segel manages to bring in an effective sad portrayal of a desperate man.

Jesse Plemons is a delight as the billionaire who, for much of the film’s runtime, cannot believe he’s being robbed. Despite a highly unlikable role, Plemons makes his arrogant, untouchable capitalist, and the petulant, hard-hearted husband, endlessly compelling. Comparatively, Lily Collins‘ performance is more subdued and stunningly shows her character’s cycle from someone who is aware of her choices, and the anger she has kept buried.

In a small role, Omar Leyva is effective as the gardener who finds himself in the wrong place and wrong time. On the whole, ‘Windfall’ is a satisfyingly decent thriller that lives up to its clever chamber premise.