The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

Swedish director Daniel Alfredson returns to the big screen after his interesting, but far from perfect, 2015 true-life crime caper, Kidnapping Mr. Heineken, with another Anthony Hopkins-led thriller.  

Go With Me –released as Blackway in some countries – is a well-shot, but a notably flawed revenge-thriller, whose biggest downfall is its seemingly outdated and old-fashioned storytelling tactics.

Returning home after her mother’s death, Lilian (Stiles) inherits her childhood home and takes couple of jobs in order to try to make ends meet. Her relatively uneventful life, however, is soon disrupted by Blackway (Liotta); a menacing ex-cop criminal lord who, for a number of unknown reasons, has decided to stalk the young woman into a fearful existence.

Alerting the authorities is not an option as, according to the local sheriff, Blackway is too powerful to be brought down. Trying her best to ignore his constant and menacing presence, Lilian’s patience soon wears thin when she is attacked in her own home, leading her to turn to a local sawmill of all places, where old-timer named Lester (Hopkins) and his awkward young associate, Nate (Ludwig), volunteer to help her.

Adapted from Castle Freeman Jr’s highly-regarded novel of the same name, the story is devoid of any real tension or danger, with almost every scene – which include a few head-scratching flashbacks that never really offer any insight or logic – failing to have the necessary effect.  The script, which boasts an otherwise interesting premise for exploration, translates into a mechanical plot that fails to take advantage of its dark and moody back-wood setting.

The rather limp performances do nothing to help Alfredson’s latest cinematic endeavour, with the piece’s two most accomplished actors, Liotta and Hopkins, failing to ignite their characters with any interest or depth. Hopkins – boasting a lazy American accent that occasionally dips into a Welsh one – coasts along in auto-pilot mode, while Liotta falls back on the over-the-top psychopathic bully role he has played so often.

As the protagonist of the piece, it all falls on the shoulders of Stiles, but there just isn’t enough to keep you engaged or empathetic. All in all, a poor effort all-round.