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4/10

Stars: Pierce Brosnan, James Frencheville, Stefanie Scott, Anna Friel, Michael Nykvist

Director: John Moore

You can forget the Cable Guy; Hell hath no fury, it seems, like a rejected IT guy. But, although not as black as most reviewers have painted it, this is still a clumsily scripted thriller on the theme of a life being taken over by forces outside our hero's control.

Central figure is Mike Regan (Brosnan), a self-made Irish aviation tycoon who has made it big in America, and now plans to expand his private jet business in line with the computer age. When a demonstration of his new plans hits a glitch on screen, a newly-hired genius IT guy, Ed Porter (Frencheville), is improbably brought in to fix it. Which he does, much to Mike's relief and admiration.

Mike's gratitude is such, in fact, that he unwisely invites Ed into his palatial, glass-walled home, to check out the hi-tech software there and, if possible, improve it. While he's there, Ed also checks out Mike's nubile teenage daughter (Scott) and shares the family's drinks and barbecue.

What Mike doesn't know is that Ed is a drug-fuelled psycho, with a history of instability and a record of fast dismissals from every firm he's worked for. Getting the wrong idea about Mike's friendship, he battens himself on to the family and spies on them by manipulating cameras in their home.

Rejected when trying to gatecrash a Regan family dinner, Ed's true nature is quickly revealed. 'Don't worry,' Mike tells his wife (Friel) after showing Ed the door. 'He's long gone.' That's what he thinks!

Ed's revenge on all the family is evilly swift; he even tries to sabotage Mike's expansion bid with considerable success. Mike beats him up rather than immediately calling the police, before resorting to subtler methods, and bringing things to a head. The ending, though, is not as exciting as it might be, while the scenario never evades the obvious.

Still, some tension is engendered here and there, and the film will look quite presentable as a late-night DVD.

David Quinlan

Ireland/USA/France/Denmark 2016. UK Distributor: The Movie Partnership. Colour (unspecified).
96 minutes. Widescreen. UK certificate: 15.

Guidance ratings (out of 3): Sex/nudity 1, Violence/Horror 1, Drugs 1, Swearing 3.

Review date: 11 Mar 2017