Solid suspense film until…

Body at Brighton Rock creates a true sense of creeping dread, and really ratchets up the suspense - until it collapses from its own weight. Wendy, the lead character, gives off a real innocence (and possibly ignorance), and you can feel things tighten as she travels deeper into the woods, but there are just too many things that go wrong to be believable. To the movie’s credit it does try to answer some of her predicaments, but answers come out of left field. This is an otherwise smart movie, and it looks good. Kudos to the sound designer! Listening to rustling winds and cracking branches on my rear speakers created a genuine unease.

Addendum: I’ve let the movie roll around in my head now for a few months, and the more I think about it the more I like it. Yes, a lot has to go wrong for the main character, but those events DO fit the narrative. Body at Brighton Rock is good entertainment.