Rupture (2017) - Movie Review

Rupture is a science fiction suspense film that was released in April 2017. I don't recall seeing this movie advertised at the theater or on television. And I don't recall seeing it on the marquee. A film starring Noomi Rapace certainly should have had trailers. While I am a Rapace fan, I have to say having her name attached to this film tricked me into thinking it might be good. It was not.

Renee (Rapace) is a single mom with an ill-tempered child. As we think we might begin to learn about the child, the story spins an entirely different direction. Renee is abducted after an elaborate flat tire ruse. She is chained to a panel van and later strapped to a gurney. She is duct taped and medicated before arriving at an unknown location that could be anywhere in the world. We have no idea how long she has been out. She finds herself locked in a room with surgical implements on a nearby tray. Her brief conversations with a couple of other "patients" shed little light on her predicament. Resourceful and combative, Renee manages to escape into the duct work of the industrial style building before being discovered and returned to her room. Although her accommodations seem to have improved a bit. She is forced to face her greatest fear, in hopes that she will appease her captors and gain her release. What she gains may be more than she bargained for.

As science fiction, there is no new ground covered in this film. It feels like a poorly combined mish-mash of other ideas. Conceptually, the story may have had some traction toward being a decent film, but it never really tried. The story was weak and mildly predictable. Watching felt tedious at times. Scenes that were meant to build tension came across as amateurish and boring. The acting was decent, particularly Rapace, who was spot on. But the film felt choppy, incoherent and incomplete. Aside from being contrived, the film lacked a cohesiveness that made it feel worthwhile. And the look of the film was close to B Movie material.

Rupture runs 102 minutes. The film received an R Rating from the MPAA. The rating is based on language and violence, which includes several torture scenes. The torture is not gory, but it will likely be disturbing to young viewers. I would suggest a teen audience for this film. On second thought, I suggest no audience for this film. Don't waste your time.

I was disappointed in this film. I wanted it to be good. I'm disappointed that Rapace picked such a weak film. Director Steven Shainburg has done some forgettable films. But I like a couple of the projects that writer Brian Nelson has been involved in. He was involved in 11.22.63 miniseries, which I really enjoyed (loved the book as well). He was also the writer on Hard Candy which was a decent movie. In the end, I can't get that 102 minutes back. But I can warn others off this one. If you see it streaming for free, it's still not worth it. 4/10.