Till Death (2021 film)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Not to be confused with Till Death (upcoming crime film).

Till Death
Till Death 2021 Horror Film poster.png
Theatrical release poster
Directed byS.K. Dale
Written byJason Carvey
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyJamie Cairney
Music by
Production
companies
Distributed byScreen Media Films
Release date
  • July 2, 2021 (2021-07-02) (United States)
Running time
88 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Till Death is a 2021 American action thriller film directed by S.K. Dale in his directorial debut, from a screenplay by Jason Carvey. It stars Megan Fox, Callan Mulvey, Eoin Macken, Aml Ameen, and Jack Roth.

Till Death was released in the United States by Screen Media Films in a limited number of theaters on July 2, 2021, and was simultaneously released on video on demand.[2] The film received generally favorable reviews, with highlights to Megan Fox's performance and S.K. Dale's direction.[2]

Plot[]

Emma, unhappily married to her controlling husband former New York County District Attorney Prosecutor from Brooklyn, New York turned criminal attorney Mark, ends her affair with Tom, a fellow lawyer partner that works with her husband. On their anniversary the next day, Mark gives her a necklace and she gives him seats to see Super Bowl LV because he is a Pittsburgh Steelers fan and takes her from the Upper West Side, Manhattan to the secluded lake house in Westchester, New York they used to visit. He asks for a second chance, and they make love. She wakes the next morning handcuffed to Mark who then commits suicide by shooting himself in the head.

Emma tries to call for help, but Mark has disabled the landline and her cell phone. She finds a safe in the closet, hidden behind her wedding dress. Dragging Mark's body through the house, she finds car keys in the kitchen trash. Emma wraps cloth around her feet and drags Mark's body to the garage. She attempts to start the car, but the fuel tank is empty.

Tom appears at the house after receiving messages from Emma's phone, which were actually sent by Mark. After Emma recounts what happened, Tom says that the police won't believe the truth and suggests they lie. In the messages sent to Tom, Mark explains that he was set to have a hearing with the New York State Bar Association for a disbarment complaint and he planned to commit suicide because the police were going to arrest him on multiple counts of tampering with evidence. Knowing that his career was over, Mark wanted to drag Emma down with him as punishment for her affair.

Emma finally convinces Tom to call the police, but he realizes he left his phone in his car. Before he can grab his phone, he notices a car approaching the house. A man named Jimmy arrives saying he was hired to fix the plumbing. Tom doesn't believe him and pays him to leave, but Jimmy's brother Bobby gets out of the car and kills Tom. Bobby is Emma's former stalker, who 10 years earlier had tried to kill her. She stabbed him in the eye before he was arrested, ultimately serving 10 years in prison.

A cat-and-mouse game ensues as the two men attempt to find Emma in order to open the safe, which requires a passcode and fingerprint. Emma flees to the boat shed and finds an anchor, which she uses to cut herself free from Mark. She hides before the men arrive, but when they discover Mark's body, she overhears them say that Mark hired them to kill her. The men leave to search inside the house for the diamonds Mark promised them.

Emma finds a fuel can in the boat and takes it to the car, though Bobby punctures the tires. They almost find her in the basement, but she activates the car alarm as a distraction; she then hits Bobby with a golf club. She locks Jimmy in a room and attempts to escape in Tom's car, but before she can Bobby breaks the window and drags her out. She tries to call the police, but Bobby breaks the phone and knocks her unconscious. She wakes in the bedroom, once again cuffed to Mark's body.

Emma claims not to know the passcode, but they say that Mark told them that it is the day he proposed to Emma. Bobby threatens to cut off her toes, but Jimmy points Mark's gun at Bobby, arguing that no one else should be hurt. Jimmy makes a deal with Emma: they will let her go if she reveals the passcode. Emma agrees, and Jimmy uncuffs her. Bobby then opens the safe with Mark’s fingerprint and the code, but finds it empty except for a saw with the message, "the diamonds you seek lay close to her heart". They realize the diamonds are in Emma's necklace; Jimmy attempts to remove it, but Mark had it designed to be impossible to remove without decapitating Emma.

Bobby prepares to cut Emma's head off, but Jimmy struggles with him and Bobby accidentally impales his brother on a coat hook, killing him. Bobby then attacks Emma. He stabs her in the leg with a knife, but she grabs some nearby pliers and strikes him in the face before cuffing him to Mark’s body.

Emma starts the car as Bobby pursues, dragging Mark with him. She runs over him, causing the car to slide into the edge of the frozen lake. Emma stabs Bobby in the shoulder as the ice finally breaks. As Mark's corpse drags Bobby into the water, Bobby pulls Emma in as well. Emma stabs Bobby's remaining eye and swims to the surface, where she almost drowns trying to break the ice. Finally freeing herself, she lies on the surface and removes her wedding ring, which rolls into the lake.

Cast[]

Production[]

In February 2020, it was announced Megan Fox had joined the cast of the film, with S.K. Dale directing from a screenplay by Jason Carvey.[4] In August 2020, Callan Mulvey, Eoin Macken, Aml Ameen and Jack Roth joined the cast of the film.[3]

Principal photography began in August 2020, in Sofia, Bulgaria.[5] Production was previously set to begin in March 2020, but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[6][7] Over the course of 4-5 weeks, Megan Fox dragged a Bulgarian stunt man across the floor in every scene, and due to the time difference between the US and Bulgaria, only slept 2-3 hours a day.[8]

Release[]

In May 2021, Screen Media Films acquired distribution rights to the film.[9] Till Death was released in the United States in a limited amount of theaters on July 2, 2021, and was simultaneously released on video on demand.[2][10]

According to data reported to PostVOD (by Screen Engine) that was released in early July 2021, Till Death was singled out as one of the low-budget movies most likely to be watched by audiences on VOD, coming in second.[11]

Jacob Oller of Paste Magazine listed the movie's trailer as one of the best of the week in June 2021.[12]

Reception[]

Till Death holds a 89% approval rating on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 35 reviews, with a weighted average of 6.70/10. The critics consensus reads "Elevated by S.K. Dale's inventive direction and Megan Fox's committed performance, Till Death will part the viewer with all but the edge of their seat."[2] On Metacritic, the film holds a rating of 66 out of 100, based on 5 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[13]

Writing for The New York Times, Beatrice Loayza said that "this straightforward romp focuses its attention on its cunning and no-nonsense scream queen. And what Fox lacks in dramatic prowess, she makes up for in pure, wicked magnetism."[14] In his review for Variety, Manuel Betancourt said that, "Even as the twists and turns get ever more preposterous ... Dale’s direction and Fox’s commitment go a long way toward making Till Death a glossy, entertaining lark."[1]  [pt] declared that the film works because of Megan Fox and said he hoped that because of the "positive repercussions she would look for better roles ... [this] is an interesting film for those who like thriller".[15]

Fox's performance was singled out positively by online critics including Scott Weinberg (Thrillist), who admired the "very strong lead performance from Megan Fox";[16] Julian Roman (MovieWeb), who said she "delivers her career best performance";[17] Chad Collins (Dread Central), who said, "Megan Fox is always a welcome horror star, a contemporary scream queen with more grit and grunge than most, and she's as good here as she's ever been";[18] Lee McCoy (DrumDums), said, "It's a welcome return to horror for Megan Fox after 11 years since the cult classic Jennifer's Body.[19]

In a review for Common Sense Media, Jeffrey M. Anderson said that "after a shaky start, this taut, vicious horror/thriller crackles to life with a dark sense of logic, a harrowing depiction of mental and emotional abuse, and a woman's boundless strength ... it ultimately makes more sense than any Saw-related deathtraps."[20] The previously mentioned MovieWeb review called SK Dale's debut "brilliant" and said, "He nails the Hitchcockian aspects of the narrative."[17] Tomris Laffly, of RogerEbert.com, called the film "undemanding, a little silly, but a thoroughly engrossing and handsomely paced edge-of-your-seat experience all the same."[21]

References[]

  1. ^ a b Betancourt, Manuel (July 2, 2021). "'Till Death' Review: This Slick, Self-Serious Thriller Is Too Chilly for Its Own Good". Variety. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d "Till Death (2021)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
  3. ^ a b Wiseman, Andreas (August 5, 2020). "'Till Death': Eoin Macken, Aml Ameen, Callan Mulvey & Jack Roth Join Megan Fox In Thriller Which Begins Tomorrow In Bulgaria". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  4. ^ Kay, Jeremy (February 13, 2020). "Megan Fox to star in Millennium Media's EFM-bound 'Till Death' (exclusive)". Screen International. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  5. ^ Roxborough, Scott (August 5, 2020). "Millennium Starts Production on Megan Fox's 'Till Death' in Bulgaria". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  6. ^ Miska, Brad (February 14, 2020). "The Horror Gets Handcuffed to Megan Fox in 'Till Death'". Bloody-Disgusting. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  7. ^ Wiseman, Andreas (May 18, 2020). "'The Expendables' Producer Millennium Re-Opens Nu Boyana Studios In Bulgaria". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  8. ^ "Megan Fox says 'Till Death' character was emotionally, physically draining: 'My adrenals were shot'". Fox News. July 7, 2021. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
  9. ^ D’Alessandro, Anthony (May 4, 2021). "Screen Media Picks Up Megan Fox Millennium Media Thriller 'Till Death'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
  10. ^ Collis, Clark (June 16, 2021). "Megan Fox is having the anniversary from hell in trailer for Till Death". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  11. ^ "VOD Charts Embrace Megan Fox in 'Till Death,' Steven Soderbergh, and 'Werewolves Within'". IndieWire. July 6, 2021. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
  12. ^ "The Trailer Park: The Best New Movie Trailers of the Week from Pig to Till Death". Paste Magazine. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  13. ^ "Till Death". Metacritic. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
  14. ^ Loayza, Beatrice (July 1, 2021). "'Till Death' Review: This Slick, Self-Serious Thriller Is Too Chilly for Its Own Good". The New York Times. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  15. ^ Till Death - Crítica do filme (in Portuguese). Brasil: Waldemar Dalenogare Neto (YouTube).
  16. ^ Weinberg, Scott (July 12, 2021). "The 35 Best Horror Movies of 2021 (So Far), Ranked". Thrillist. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
  17. ^ a b Roman, Julian (July 9, 2021). "'Till Death' Review: Megan Fox Stuns in a Diabolically Twisted Thriller". MovieWeb. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
  18. ^ Collins, Chad (July 3, 2021). "'Till Death' Review – Blood and Handcuffs Make Magic". Dread Central. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
  19. ^ Lee McCoy (July 3, 2021). Till Death 2021 Review (Megan Fox is Back!). DrumDums.
  20. ^ Anderson, Jeffrey M. (June 25, 2021). "Till Death". Common Sense Media. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
  21. ^ Laffly, Tomris (July 2, 2021). "Til Death". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved July 7, 2021.

External links[]

Retrieved from ""