Don't Look Back (2020 film)

Don't Look Back is a 2020 American horror mystery thriller film written and directed by Jeffrey Reddick.

Don't Look Back
Poster
Directed byJeffrey Reddick
Written byJeffrey Reddick
Produced byRoman Dent
Ashleigh Snead
Andy Steinman
Andrew van den Houten
Starring
  • Kourtney Bell
  • Bryan Batt
  • Will Stout
  • Skyler Hart
  • Jeremy Holm
  • Jaqueline Fleming
  • Amanda Grace Benitez
  • Damon Lipari
  • Han Soto
  • Dean J. West
  • Stephen Twardokus
CinematographyAndy Steinman
Edited byMike Mendez
Erik Rosenbluh
Music byChristopher Thomas
Production
companies
Title Media
Hood River Entertainment
Storyteller Media
Setlife Films
Distributed byKamikaze Dogfight
Gravitas Ventures
Release date
  • October 16, 2020 (2020-10-16) (TIFF)
Running time
93 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Plot

While jogging in the park, Caitlin Kramer meets a man, who, when she turns away, assaults another man. Seeing it, she takes out a cellphone and video records the beating. Following the recording, witnesses start to disappear without a trace. Caitlin must solve the disappearances before she will become the target.

Cast
  • Kourtney Bell as Caitlin Kramer
  • Will Stout as Lucas Helton
  • Skyler Hart as Josh Bowman
  • Jeremy Holm as detective Boyd
  • Jaqueline Fleming as Althea Minnis
  • Amanda Grace Benitez as Maria Sanchez
  • Damon Lipari as Curt Miley
  • Han Soto as Tony Cusumano
  • Dean J. West as Douglas Helton
  • Stephen Twardokus as Nathan Rome
  • Bryan Batt as Reverend Farmer
  • Kelly Lind as Betty
  • Jeff Locker as radio announcer
  • Eduardo Losan as male police officer
  • Escalante Lundy as Steinman
  • Katelyn Pearce as Dr. Bolin
  • Antonio Saez as shirtless jogger
  • Marcel Shihadeh as hipster 1
  • James Miller as hipster 2
  • Sharon Blynn as caller 1
  • Natalie Calavas as caller 2
  • James Moorer as caller 3
  • Daryl Patrice as caller 4
  • Anthony Michael Frederick as cop
  • Ashton Leigh as Wendy
  • Dominic Alexander as street preacher
  • K. Steele as sergeant Craven
  • Eric Stratemeier as Thin Man
  • Orlando Eric Street as Mr. Kramer
  • Rainn Wilson as George Reed
  • Palo Jimenez as bartender

Release

Don't Look Back was screened at the Toronto International Film Festival, where it was sold by Octane Entertainment.[1] A trailer for the film was released on October 1, 2020.[2] The film had a limited release in theatres on October 16, 2020, following which, Kamikaze Dogfight and Gravitas Ventures acquired distribution rights for the US release.[1]

Reception

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 55% approval rating based on 22 reviews, with an average ranking of 5.3/10. The site's consensus reads: "Don't Look Back does an impressive job of working within obvious budget constraints, but writer-director Jeffrey Reddick is overly reliant on genre clichés."[3]

Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com cautioned that "Not everyone may have the patience for The Feast, but those who do will be rewarded with intelligence and grand guignol in equal measure".[4]

Brian Shaer of Film Threat criticized the title of the film. In his opinion, it should have been titled "If you see something, say something".[5]

According to Phil Hoad of The Guardian, the film "very much feeling like a ropey first draft of Final Destination, Reddick's gimmick here is fuzzy compared to the franchise's ruthless focus on the feasibility of outsmarting death".[6]

Writing for Starburst, Martin Unsworth wrote that "[a]n undemanding audience may enjoy the cheap thrills and get what they deserve, but hardened horror fans will find it a turn off".[7]

References
  1. Hipes, Patrick (September 15, 2020). "'Final Destination' Creator Jeffrey Reddick's 'Don't Look Back' Gets U.S. Deal For October Release". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
  2. Miska, Brad (October 1, 2020). "Exclusive 'Don't Look Back' Clip Calls Out Bad Samaritans [Video]". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
  3. "Don't Look Back (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  4. Tallerico, Brian (October 16, 2020). "Don't Look Back". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
  5. Shaer, Brian (October 16, 2020). "Don't Look Back". Film Threat. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
  6. Hoad, Phil (June 12, 2021). "Don't Look Back review – smartphone morality shocker fails to connect". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
  7. "Don't Look Back [FrightFest October 2020]". Starburst. October 23, 2020.
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