Blinders: A Stylish Stalker Thriller
Genre veteran Tyler Savage’s sophomore release, Blinders, recently made its North American Premiere at the Austin Film Festival. The increasingly creepy film follows a lonely transplant to the City of Angels who forms a dangerous friendship with a rideshare driver. With its stylish swagger and unforeseen twist, Blinders makes a solid entry into the stalker sub-genre.
In the wake of a messy break-up, Andy (Vincent Van Horn) decides to start fresh, relocating from Austin to Los Angeles. Eager to make new connections, he befriends Roger (Michael Lee Joplin), an unusual rideshare driver. But when Roger's behavior gets too strange for comfort, Andy blows him off, choosing to focus on a budding relationship with Sam (Christine Ko). This unhinges Roger, who begins to torment Andy, ensuring that his stay in L.A. is short-lived.
From Cape Fear to Ingrid Goes West, One Hour Photo to Single White Female, and everything in between, cinema is no stranger to the stalker. The stalker film is one of those sub-genres where it seems as though if you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all; however, Tyler Savage’s latest effort, Blinders, proves there’s still room to break new ground. The film melds loneliness, obsession, and appearances into a solid neo-noir stew with strong horror and thriller leanings. Imagine Brian De Palma impersonating Alfred Hitchcock directing The Cable Guy and you’d have something close. The film doesn’t exactly reinvent the wheel, but it carves out just enough space to make the familiar terrain feel interesting and engaging.
It begins like many stalker films, with an outwardly innocent fish-out-of-water in a new city who bites off more than they can chew. The film follows Andy (Vincent Van Horn) as he leaves his native Texas in favor of a #FreshStart in sunny L.A. with his pup, Juicebox. Forlorn and downhearted following a bad breakup, Andy’s desperation to make new friends leads him in two seemingly different directions. The first is with Sam (Christine Ko), who’s also recently undergone a separation of her own; the other is with Roger (Michael Lee Joplin), an askew rideshare driver with obsessive tendencies. When Andy gives Roger the runaround, the increasingly unhinged Roger decides to play some demented games of his own design, which torment Andy to the point of breaking.
The ensuing antics are slight riffs on the usual conventions, making a majority of Blinders’ journey a retread of the stalker films that came before it, but there’s still joy to be had here. Just as you may think you know exactly where the film is headed, Savage lays a hidden ace that genuinely pulls the rug out from under you. The unexpected ingenuity applied to Blinders’ final act gives it a sinister spin and a thought-provoking quality. The twist may come a bit too late, but it’s sincerely inspired and really gives this solid little indie a boost.
The film is further bolstered by Antonio Cisneros’ gorgeous cinematography, which is bursting with neon-fueled nights, vibrant sun-soaked days, and a loads of soft focus, and the performances from its three central leads, who all elevate the material and give their respective characters some much needed depth. Compared to the film’s technical and performative proficiencies, however, the film’s script, co-written by Savage and his writing partner Dash Hawkins, weakens a bit of Blinders overall impact. While its twist gives the film some much needed oomph, the rest of the narrative is mostly lacking in inspiration and surprise. Luckily, it’s kept largely engaging thanks to the lush cinematography and the strength of its performances. That said, Savage and Hawkins do manage to incorporate technology in an effectively unnerving way, which feeds into the film’s central theme.
With Blinders, appearances might not be all they’re cracked up to be. What appears to be just another stalker film may surprise you when it’s all said and done. One thing’s for sure, Savage and company have churned out a solid genre piece that holds its own against the firmly established stalker films and has something important to say.
Recommendation: Blinders adds just enough twists and turns to make the tried and true stalker formula sparkle with nuance and style. Definitely give this film a watch if you’re into films where appearances aren’t all they seem to be.
Rating: 3.5 shots with strangers outta 5.
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