Guess Who's Coming To Dinner? 'The Guest'

One thing you can say about 'The Guest' is that it doesn't hang about. It sets up the premise in the first scene and keeps you riveted for the remainder of the running time. Blue eyed, blonde haired angel David (Dan Stevens) ingratiates himself into the home of the Petersons by claiming to be a close friend of their enlisted son who died in action. Soon they are confiding in him and telling him their secrets and fears. He then sets about sorting all of their problems for them, Jason Bourne style, with extreme prejudice. Is he an agent for good or an agent for bad?

I loved absolutely every minute of this movie, and how often do I say that? You can relax into it early on as the filmmakers clearly know what they're doing. It has the feel of a cult movie from the 80s, a pulsating dark/gothic electro soundtrack and it is a tight, exciting blast of entertainment. Stylistically it nods its head towards John Carpenter, Walter Hill and Michael Mann. That ticks all the boxes for me! It also has a great cast, witty script and a believable screen family that keep the whole thing grounded even during its most excessive moments. There's nothing particularly new here but it doesn't feel tired, never becomes pastiche and doesn't try too hard to impress. It is just a fucking good thrill ride of a movie like they don't make any more.

It is inevitably a bit like those yuppie in peril movies that used to be so popular - 'Single White Female', 'Unlawful Entry', 'Breakdown' etc but given a contemporary twist along the lines of 'Killer Joe' or the best bits of 'Driver'. It has the pacing and feel of films like 'The Terminator' and 'The Hitcher' but best of all it is made by someone who understands and loves horror movies. This is from the team that brought us last year's 'You're Next,' which showed promise but didn't quite hit all the right notes. The climax of 'The Guest' is a horror fan's dream even though it is not a horror film per se.

Great fun, stuffed full of the stuff I love, darkly satirical and smart enough not to explain everything. It could just be my favourite B-movie of the year. Go see it.