'InSight' Provides Clever Spins on Familiar Thriller Territory

Very rarely do I see a movie that completely surprises me. That rare film that you think you have figured out before the title credits role but when it's over you're left going, "Wow, that didn't happen the way I thought it would." That's exactly how I felt after watching the new thriller "InSight." Apparently, from reading other critic's reviews, I'm not the only one out there that felt that way, either.

The story of "InSight" revolves around an ER nurse who is accidentally shocked by the defibrillators while trying to revive a murder victim. After her heart stops for a few seconds, the nurse awakes to find she is having visions of the murder and the victim's killer. She begins trying to solve the murder by convincing the detective working on the case of her visions. She also takes matters into her own hands by confronting the victim's creepy next-door neighbor, ex-boyfriend, and psychiatrist.

"InSight" is a twisty little indie thriller that never lets up. Just when you think you have everything figured out, your hypothesis will collapse. Everything about this film surprised me. This is a well-directed and well-acted movie from start to finish. Indie films like this usually go two ways. You have the typical Lifetime TV movie route, which is safe. Then there's the smart and classy unpredictable road less traveled that "InSight" thankfully takes.

Many critics really enjoyed "InSight." Michael Allen from 28 Days Later Analysis wrote, "A well acted thriller, with a script that changes its colors, much like a chameleon the final few scenes are worth waiting for, with the film avoiding almost all stumbling blocks in film production." Mireille M. from The Entertainment Corner reported, "'InSight's' pace doesn't let up for a single moment and even speeds up as the film goes into it's final stretch. 'InSight's' production values are highly exceptional for an independent film. Without a doubt, 'InSight' stands as a solid model of what independent films should be in regards to a quality end product that viewers will be satisfied watching." Spoiler TV's Adam Harris stated, "Dark, grisly, tense and focused, 'InSight is a film that manages to take a tale that has been told time and time again and cleverly twist it into a new direction. For a small independent thriller it is light years ahead of its competition, with a story that is deserving of your time watching it unfold."

Some reviewers had a few issues with "InSight." Mike Hale of the New York Times commented, "[It's] light on thrills... ladling on the atmosphere doesn't make up for the thin story, with its obvious twists The result may be well meaning but doesn't rise above television noir." New York Daily News' Joe Dziemianowicz complained, "From its unexciting transference of psychic powers to its dull police procedure to the way one secondary cop character wears a fedora two sizes too big, this thriller is late-night-cable bad through and through."

Richard Gabai directed "InSight." It stars Sean Patrick Flanery, Natalie Zea, Christopher Lloyd, Veronica Cartwright, Adam Baldwin, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Juliet Landau, and Max Perlich. The movie is Unrated but features violence, language, and sexual situations. "InSight" was released through Check Entertainment Distribution into limited theaters on September 2, 2011.

For more articles by Eric Shirey, check out:

Interview with 'InSight' Director Richard Gabai
Sean Patrick Flanery Gives Us 'InSight' into Supernatural Mystery
'Hellraiser: Revelations' Looks to Be Truly Painful

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