No Good Deed (2014), PG-13, ★1/2

Taraji P. Henson in a vulnerable state of mind.

Do you feel safe or do you feel unsafe when alone in the house or when you and your family are vulnerable? I almost see the same premise about every year or 2 years depending on the different actors. The movie that started it all in my opinion is Fatal Attraction starring Michael Douglas and Glenn Close. Two thirds of the movie was simply dangerous and exciting, but it turns to a slasher movie near the end and it left me unsatisfied. Every movie is just the same clichéd story and I'm afraid, the price of admission to go see this movie is not worth it.

Criminal Colin Evans (Idris Elba) is denied parole after the judge and the chairman of the board claims that he is a violent offender and will get the families of the five women in an uproar if he is freed. Colin is being taken back to prison in a van when he appears to have a nosebleed. But, here comes the cliché when a bad guy tricks a high ranking officer, the villain picks up a weapon and shoots all the stupid high-ranking officers. Unbelievable. Haven't they learned this in the academy? Nevertheless, Colin escapes.

Terri Granger (Taraji P. Henson) is a former lawyer turned housewife who is overworked with taking care of her children and calling on the phone while landscapers are working outside. Her best friend Meg (Leslie Bibb) suggests that she should have a girls' night out. As her husband to go see his family, Terri is alone with her kids.

On the same evening, Colin's car swerves into a tree during a heavy rainstorm and Colin walks to Terri's house to ask if he could call the phone to get a tow truck. Things go heavily wrong as Terri, Meg and a cop suspects that Colin is up to something and is investigated as a runaway prisoner. The movie just drags on with cliché after cliché.

Idris Elba as the ex-con who threatens Terri and her children.

The premise is a bit solid until the movie gets duller and drags with uninteresting set-ups, poorly executed scenes and quick editing that just makes you want to vomit. My question is that we are in a digital era: How come Terri cannot notice that Colin is a prisoner on television or hear it on the radio? Don't you think that a man killing five women would be noticed on the news? The filmmakers take interesting characters and turning them into characters that have a brain of a peanut and violent psychopaths.

Taraji P. Henson and Idris Elba give solid performances, but their characters do not go anywhere as the plot gets utterly ridiculous and predictable. After Elba arrives to Henson's house, the movie turns into a chess game that takes about 20 minutes to figure out. But that's the point of view of the audience. From the character's point of view, it almost takes an eternity to figure out. I'll give you the performances and a few good technical shots, but, just watch the commercials or the trailer for the movie. It'll save you the money.

*1/2