Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.0

The Intruder Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman July 16, 2019

There are some perks, and some pitfalls, to home ownership, but the latter doesn’t usually involve the previous owner creepily sticking around after the funds have been transferred and the keys handed off. Director Deon Taylor’s (Meet the Blacks) Domestic Thriller The Intruder pits a rugged and crazed Randy Quaid against a millennial city couple trying to get on their feet in an idyllic Napa Valley country home. It’s a basic, streamlined experience, a movie that’s been seen before in a genre that’s housed its share of up-and-down pictures (and seems to be a Sony and for Screenwriter David Loughery, who penned both of those linked films as well as The Intruder). This one falls squarely in the middle of the morass, stumbling through predictable plot avenues but saved by quality work from Quaid, Michael Ealy, and Meagan Good.

For Scott Russell (Ealy) and his wife Annie (Good), the time is right to finally move away from San Francisco’s bustle and noise and into a more peaceful and serene life in God’s country up north in the Napa Valley. They spend a day on tour of a beautiful home on a green tree-lined drive, but the serene, for them almost surreal, experience is interrupted by a gunshot and the home’s gregarious homeowner Charlie (Dennis Quaid) who welcomes the couple with opens arms. Scott instantly distrusts and dislikes Charlie -- gun violence robbed him of his brother, and the shot, which took down a deer, was both a trigger and turn-off -- but Annie falls in love with the house and finds her host just a little charming. Scott reluctantly purchases the home. All seems well until Charlie, who said he was moving to Florida to be with his daughter, pops back in. Repeatedly. A random visit to cut the grass turns into Thanksgiving dinner and helping Annie hang the Christmas lights while Scott is busy at work. Charlie can’t take the hint that he is no longer wanted in his old home but refuses to move, seemingly unable -- or unwilling -- to walk away from his past life. As Scott digs into Charlie’s dark past, Annie finds herself increasingly questioning the man’s motives. Is he just an old, worn soul with regret in his heart, or is there something more sinister below the surface?

The answer to that question comes as no surprise. Charlie isn't just a friendly old man who misses the memories his home held. He's psychotic, and the movie will assuredly end in some level of bloodshed. But what The Intruder does well is to run with the idea that Charlie's is a man of little real motivation, that he isn't driven by some dark past but rather a deeply entrenched psychosis that drives him to, and through, madness. The film doesn't bother trying to explain away who he is, at least not with any real depth or detail. He's crazy, and for Quaid, Taylor, Loughery, and the audience, that's enough. The movie works better because there's no real motivation or method to his madness. As Scott (with some help) digs into Charlie's past, he comes to learn that the man has long had a few screws loose in his head, and really, does the movie need to explain anything more away?

Certainly the movie might have been made better if Quaid's character, and his performance, weren't backed up against a predictable, trite, and tired arc that moves along a crude, basic trajectory that sees the movie hit, and embrace, all of the classic shots and scenarios. The audience knows how it's all going to play out well before the characters, in what order, who's likely to die, and where to look to spot Charlie lurking in shadows or gazing through windows. Quaid, to his credit, is a wild card that makes the movie tolerable, running with the idea that Charlie is a monster, not a troubled soul but an unquestionably insane individual with whom the audience cannot relate. Michael Ealy is well cast as Scott, a young, successful man who has to leave his comfort zone, man up, and confront Charlie in a way that might be uncomfortable, but necessary, because he has him pegged from the beginning but doesn't know just how far that particular rabbit hole runs. Meagan Good is quite good as Annie, the loving, trusting wife who buys Charlie's story hook, line, and sinker and repeatedly invites him into her home, brushing off the creepy vibes that alert her husband's radar, essentially offering an extended thanks to the man who helped make her dreams come true.

The Intruder Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The digitally sourced The Intruder looks fine on Blu-ray, offering nothing of visual note but everything in good working order. Sony's 1080p Blu-ray is more than capable of translating the movie's basic visual qualities to home video, presenting its visually contemporary conventions nicely enough. The image pushes warm in low light and accumulates a good bit of noise during nighttime exterior and lower light interior shots. Bright daytime exteriors and well lit interiors, particularly with some of the brighter whites around the home, reveal exemplary color reproduction and super crisp details. Facial textures and hairs are very sharp; the film was not released on the UHD format but it's difficult to believe there would be a significant upward movement in definition and clarity over what is found here. The transfer allows viewers to soak in the details both inside the house and amongst the natural world around it. Likewise, colors are appropriately diverse , ranging from various wallpapers, paints, and decorations in the home to the pops of natural green around its exterior. Black levels hold stable and deep while skin tones seem always accurate against lighting and location and the various combinations thereof. There are the typical little bits of aliasing on overhead city skyline shots but the image is otherwise free of major source or compression anomalies. The movie itself doesn't really move the needle for its visual acumen but Sony's Blu-ray presents it well enough.

The Intruder Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Intruder invades Blu-ray with a well-rounded DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Music during a lovemaking scene in chapter three finds quality width, modest surround support, and terrific clarity. Large, sharp musical cues additionally enjoy solid stage engagement and detail from the high end all the way to the bottom. Booms of thunder crack with dominance and widespread stage engagement in chapter 10, nearly passing for a larger, more immersive presence than even the 5.1 configuration can offer. There are several other engaging sonic details, like a sudden knock on the door and a ringing doorbell in chapter 12. A few shotgun and rifle shots appear throughout the movie, none sounding more massive than the final of them, offering a tremendous feel for the immediately close and concussive blast. Dialogue is clear and well prioritized, flowing from a natural front-center position.

The Intruder Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Intruder's Blu-ray contains an audio commentary track, deleted and alternate scenes, a gag reel, and a featurette. A Moves Anywhere digital copy code is included with purchase. This release ships with a non-embossed slipcover.

• Audio Commentary: Producer/Director Deon Taylor, Producer Roxanne Avent, Writer David Loughery, and Actors Megan Good and Michael Ealy make for a well-rounded team that is able to approach the film from multiple angles and from both sides of the camera. It remains balanced even with the plethora of participants. Fans will find it a worthwhile listen.
• Deleted & Alternate Scenes (1080p, 11:57 total runtime): Included are We're Just Here for the House; Grandkids' Room; Venison; Bye Charlie; This Wallpaper, Ellen?; and Alternate Ending.
• Making a Modern Thriller (1080p, 12:24): A well-rounded piece that explores story, cast and characters, project origins and development, and more.
• Gag Reel (1080p, 3:08): Humorous moments from the shoot.
• Previews (1080p): Additional Sony titles.

The Intruder Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Intruder isn't a bad movie. It's structurally stale, but not bad, saved by three more than capable lead performances and a few well-drawn characters. The film would have unquestionably amounted to more with a bit more creativity and polish on the script side, but good performances balance out simplistic story details. Sony's Blu-ray is well-rounded, offering quality video and audio presentations and an appropriate assortment of extra content. Worth a look.