Don’t Move (2024), directed by Brian Netto & Adam Schindler, stars Kelsey Asbille, Finn Wittrock, Moray Treadwell, and Daniel Francis. The film follows Iris (Asbille), a grieving woman on the edge of suicide who crosses paths with Richard (Wittrock), a mysterious stranger who initially helps her see the error of her ways. As they are about to go their separate ways, Richard reveals himself as a psychotic serial killer and proceeds to inject Iris with a paralytic drug that takes 20 minutes to kick in. Iris escapes Richard but quickly begins to feel the effects of the drug. With Richard hot on her trail, Iris is forced to use her quick wits and the good grace of strangers to escape Richard without the use of her body. 

Asbille and Wittrock are serviceable leads, so it’s unfortunate that the script features the bare minimum of characterization. For example, the only thing we know about Iris throughout the film is that she is struggling with her son’s death. If the character was given more nuance, this detail would work a lot better, but on its own, it comes across as cliche. It also doesn’t help that because the script is so committed to its “paralyzed protagonist” premise, Iris is relegated to being an observer for large stretches of the film. In other words, she doesn’t have a lot of agency as a character. It’s tense to see a character who is helplessly at the mercy of those around her, but it also causes her to feel stagnant. The other issue with this character is that she’s initially presented as being suicidal but immediately tries everything in her power to survive once pursued by Richard. I would have bought this shift if the character didn’t constantly re-express how she wants to die WHILE trying to survive. I understand that feelings of depression/suicide aren’t necessarily rational, but in the context of a movie, it results in a character whose drive is difficult to understand.

Although the characters are somewhat problematic, the action is entertaining enough to entertain the audience across its 90-minute runtime. In fact, the movie is basically all action. However, the “paralyzed protagonist” premise only acts to lessen the overall effect. Things happen, but they never involve the character we’re supposed to care the most about – she just watches. It also stinks that this kind of “cat and mouse” chase thriller is something we’ve already seen this year with the far superior Strange Darling (2024). Thankfully, the film’s strong sense of visual over spoken exposition helps it to move along at an acceptable pace. 

Overall, nothing here is particularly horrible but nothing is great either. It’s the kind of movie a person can have fun with if they like this kind of thriller. Everyone else, on the other hand, will find nothing new. It’s the kind of movie that is justified by its premise and little else. The thing is, the premise never feels like it’s properly taken advantage of. I wasn’t offended by it, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this is a movie I completely forget about in 2 months’ time. C