Customer Reviews

Restraint

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I happened to search under "True Blood", the HBO series for any items. This movie, "Restraint" came up among other items. It looked like a good thriller so I checked it out. Stephen Moyer from True Blood is in it which was why it showed up. I'm not a fan of his so that had no influence on wanting to see it.
A young Australian couple, Ron and Dale are on the run from the police. Ron has just recently killed Dale's boss. They have no money and are looking for a place to hide out. They eventually find a very big secluded house. As they're searching the house for things to steal, there's one thing they don't know. The owner is in the house.
The owner, Andrew (Stephen Moyer), sees Dale first and before anything is said, in comes Ron, with his shotgun, barking orders and tying Andrew up.
Andrew is agoraphobic and doesn't fight back as much as one would expect.
They come up with a plan, which to not ruin the movie, I'll leave out.
As the movie progresses, the interaction between the three characters is intense, suspenseful and exciting. Looks and actions could be deceiving.
All in all, I never expected the movie to be so good, with great acting and a storyline that kept me interested the whole time.
It's too bad both actors, Travis Fimmel (Ron) and Teresa Palmer (Dale) haven't been in more movies.

The movie Restraint manages to entertain on many levels--it's a thriller--who will kill who? It's a pyschological play--who's got the power in each situation and who will turn it how? It's sexy--who's going to have sex with whom? And it's all well-executed. The actors are believeable and gorgeous; the cinematography beautiful and even haunting; the dialogue cutting and concise. Having said all that, it does many things well, but nothing great. It's not scary enough to appeal to the slasher crowd; it's got too much violence to appeal to the cerebral crowd; and it doesn't have enough sex to appeal on those grounds. It's just a good movie that explores the power struggles--both physical and psychological--of three people in very bizarre circumstances.

I don't know what it is with those Australian's and their movies, but there must be something in the water in Australia ! Because just about every Australian movie that I've seen was good to excellent, and this one here is simply another good Australian thriller. I guess the best script writers and directors along with actors do actually reside in Australia. Anyway, this is a good suspensful thriller that is more focused around the different characters of the film. Its not your average run of the mill type of thriller, especially because there is a certain amount of character development in it which is usually missing from other thrillers. Watch it cause you won't be disappointed if you're a thriller fan.

I was able to watch this as an instant play on a movie rental website I subscribe to, and the only reason I picked it was because Stephen Moyer of HBO's True Blood: The Complete First Season (HBO Series) and True Blood: The Complete Second Season (HBO Series)was in it. It's a little known Australian production, but proved (despite my initial misgivings) to be quite an effective thriller.

A young couple comprising a hoodlum, Ron (Travis Fimmel) and his stripper girlfriend, Dale (Teresa Palmer) end up being on the run after Ron kills a gas station clerk. The pair find an imposing big house out in the country and decide the check it out, not realizing there's an occupant in the house. The man occupying the house is an agoraphobic (someone who fears going outside) and Andrew (Stephen Moyer) is soon taken hostage by the pair. This is where the fun/thrills begin as the three play a sort of cat-and-mouse game with some psychological and sexual tension between the couple and the hostage. Andrew appears to be sexually attracted to Dale and keeps commenting on her resemblance to his fiancee Gabrielle who has apparently jilted him. Ron, as dumb as he acts, is wise to this attraction and manipulates it to serve his own ends, but there's more to Andrew than he suspects.

The tension in the drama is credibly played out and most of the movie is actually set within the house itself - there's an element of unpredictability in the 'relationship' that forms between the three, at times Ron is beating up on Andrew, at others Andrew fights back, and then there are times when all three are acting all civilized (sharing a meal, dancing happily to some vintage jazz album). It's hard for the viewer to determine what exactly Andrew's motives are, and if Ron and Dale will be content with what is promised to them. Dale as portrayed by the sexy Teresa Palmer (there's a scene where she bares her behind and breasts, but there's no graphic scenes of sex) is the object of desire for both men, and this sexual tension is also well played out.

Though this appears to be a low-budget production, my husband and I both felt the dialogue was well-written and the three main actors were credible in their roles. The only thing we felt was a letdown was the rather cliched ending, but on the whole, this is a nicely done psychological thriller.

Ron (Travis Fimmel) and Dale (Teresa Palmer) are on the run from the law. Ron has killed a man at a gas station, while already having another corpse in the trunk of their vehicle! Fortunately, the two fugitives happen upon a secluded mansion to hide in. Unfortunately, the house is occupied by it's current resident, Andrew (Stephen Moyer), who is nearly paralyzed by agoraphobia. Ron grows increasingly agitated, desperate, and dangerous, while Andrew comes up w/ a plan that just might keep him alive. RESTRAINT is a marvelously tricky thriller w/ plenty of suspense, mystery, and some humour. The ending is extremely satisfying and surprising. Definitely worth owning... P.S.- The fact that Ms. Palmer is occasionally naked in this film, and is hot enough to melt lead didn't influence my vote one bit...

It seems to me I've seen some numbers of thrillers that revolve around a character with a psychological quirk. In this case the protagonist suffers from agoraphobia.

A young couple are on the run. He has murdered someone who is now in the trunk of his car. She hasn't yet done anything wrong but has issues of self worth so she stays with this murderer. While they are at a gas station, and in need of dough, the news hits the TV that they are wanted. He ends up killing the attendant and they need to get off the street. They end up in the house of the agoraphobe and realize he is a source of their much needed cash. The movie shifts into psychological gear and the viewer must try to figure who will win the cat and mouse.

Once you suspend your disbelief on the way too coincidental set up, this is a pretty cool movie. Steve Moyer as the shut in does a nice job. He's essentially a normal guy except for that one phobia. And when the viewer sees he might not be as innocent as he proposes he handles that with equal aplomb. Teresa Palmer as Dale is gorgeous. She's good. Maybe not great, but good enough to get the viewer through the role comfortably. I'm not too sure about bad boy Ron. Some aspects of his character were right on but something was wrong. I'm not certain if it was in the writing or his portrayal.

Most of the action is set in the house and it's a good set. It's a mansion that is a bit past its prime but has a lot of personality. That the shut-in is a used-to-be art dealer helps as well. You have some nifty artwork scattered throughout the place. This has decent production values and moves along at a fair clip so you're not at all bored. This could have used a bit better script, but so many of these types of thrillers are pretty awful, so this stands out quite a bit higher. It might be more three and a half stars than the four I gave it, but it's well worth the watch.

Frankly, the #1 reason to rent this small, Australian production (from Netflix, if your video store doesn't have it) is Stephen Moyer, the sexy Englishman who plays Bill Compton, Civil War vet and vampire, on HBO's True Blood (True Blood: The Complete Second Season (HBO Series)).

Attempting to escape from the police, killers Ron and Dale (Dale is a beautiful woman) break into a secluded country home. They stumble upon Andrew (Moyer), who is agoraphobic and never leaves the house. Ron plans to kill Andrew until Andrew assures him he can get the criminal pair $40,000 from his trust fund over a 2-day period...if Dale can pretend to be Andrew's long-absent fiancee, Gabrielle. Each day, Dale has to go into town and withdraw $20,000 from the bank. Stuck in the house with Andrew, Ron plans cruel ways to torture his hostage. Ron seems to have a secret attraction to Andrew; at one point as they sit tensely on the couch together, Ron reaches out and grabs Andrew's hand. Andrew, appalled, pulls away. In turn, Andrew is plainly attracted to Dale, which Ron then uses against Andrew. When all the shady doings and backroom deals are done in this house, it's impossible to tell who are the victims and who has been manipulating whom.

The violence and suspense in this film are intense. I liked it, not only because of Stephen Moyer's performance, but also because of the twists and turns. It should be noted, however, that Moyer gets as near-naked in this as he regularly does on True Blood...definitely a plus for fans of Bill and Sookie.

Well, I rented this because I am a Moyer fan. I was not disappointed. For 3 actors, shooting in primarily one location, it did not bore me for a minute. Excellent acting, beautiful people, nice twist. Nothing complicated. I suppose if the actors were less appealing to the eye, it might not have been as good. :) The only thing you must know, is to be sure and watch the alternate ending. I think it was much better. Just go to the special features. :) ENJOY!!

I enjoyed this movie, not quite as I had imagined. There was not enough action for me. I expected something along the lines of "THE BEAST". I had only seen Travis Fimmel in that series. I don't know if there are any other movies with him in it. I am still glad that I purchased it. I will watch it again.

Regards Bernice.

I was looking for a movie with Stephen Moyer in it, and happily came across this one. It is an Australian film (I think), very well crafted, all elements of film making seem to fall into place. The actors are really superb and I was delighted with Mr. Moyer's performance. Love True Blood, but love this also. Stephen portrays a man with agoraphobia, two strangers enter his home and bind him to a chair... you must see this .. very exciting.