The taut thriller, Return to Sender spins a wicked tale of rape, revenge and redemption. Very good acting, direction and cinematography, the movie raises tension levels with each chapter. If you like your drama suspenseful and compelling then this film should keep you on the edge of your seat. The edgy Return to Sender is now available on Blu-ray and DVD for home viewing.
Concentrating on her job as a nurse in a hospital Miranda Wells (Rosamund Pike) has had little time for dating. Her work mates include Nancy (Camryn Manheim) who fills the role of busybody at the medical facility while giving advice she doesn’t take for herself. And then there’s Darlene who has set up a blind date for Miranda with Kevin an employee at her husband’s business. The two are her best friends and just want her to find someone who will be her soulmate for life.
On the day of the date a man (Shiloh Fernandez) shows up at her door and she figures its Kevin. He’s early and although Miranda hesitates to let him into the house for being inconsiderate of the timing, she does anyway not wanting to hurt Darlene’s feelings. Then things start to become uncomfortable with the man’s demeanor not being what she expected and asks him to leave and come back at the proper time. In a flash the man attacks Miranda raping her on the kitchen table then running from the house. The real Kevin (Billy Slaughter) shows up much later and finds her on the kitchen floor.
The day of terror has left Miranda in a state of shock. Director Fouad Mikati wastes no time getting to the center of the story and working all the characters into anger over the heinous act. He provides a few twists and uses some nice ploys to turn the story into a shocker. He has his audience on the edge of their seat from the moment of the attack through the next few chapters than a finale that sends shivers of disbelief.
The acting here makes the story work from the support cast to Rosemond Pike as Miranda. Each has talent and Fouad pulls it out of everyone in front of the camera. I enjoyed Pike’s performance as she really knows how to display emotion in a character. She gets taken by surprise and fights back with all she’s got only to finally succumb to the intruder. Getting solace from her father (Nick Nolte), who you can see just wants to rip the guy apart if they find him, she starts to come around. Pike knows how to change from vengeful to cunning as she has that kind of control. A good example is her performance in Gone Girl, although not as scathing here her Miranda does know how to scheme.
Return to Sender has not been rated by the MPAA, but does contain violence, gore, brutality, rape and language. Make sure that all the youngsters are asleep in bed before popping this video into your home entertainment system.
FINAL ANALYSIS: A good film for the acting and sordid plot. (B)
Specifications and additional video information:
Cast: Rosamund Pike, Shiloh Fernandez, Nick Nolte, Camryn Manheim, Illeana Douglas, Rumer Willis, Alexi Wasser, Billy Slaughter, Stephen Louis Grush, Donna Duplantier, Ian Barford, Scout Taylor-Compton, Liann Pattison, Lucas Boffin, Keir O’Donnell, Ryan Phillippe.
Director and writer: Fouad Mikati
MPAA Rating: Not rated contains violence, rape, language
Genre: Thriller, Drama
Running Time: 1 hr. 35 min
Original Theatrical Release Date: August 14, 2015
Video Release Date: September 29, 2015
Language: English
Reviewed Format: DVD (also available on Blu-ray)
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1
Video: Widescreen Aspect Ratio 1.85:1
Subtitles: English SDH
Number of Discs: 1 Disc
Distributed by: RLJ Entertainment
Writer, critic, film editor John Delia, Sr. has been on all sides of the movie business from publications to film making. He has worked as a film critic with ACED Magazine for more than 20 years and other publications for a total of 40 years. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Florida. John is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association and Critics Association of Central Florida Send John a message at jdelia@acedmagazine.com
