What would you do if you were put in a situation that cannot be explained and are in fear you may be accused of murder? That’s the premise of the movie Silent Panic a nicely filmed indie that puts the question to the test. The film plays out well with a few predictable moments, but wraps up nicely with a twist.
Best friends Bobby (Joseph Martinez), Eagle (Sean Nateghi) and Dominic (Jay Habre) are off on a camping trip in the woods outside of Los Angeles. When they return to their car they find a dead woman in the trunk. Eagle, who’s an ex-convict that spent time in jail over a mistaken identity robbery assault charge, says they shouldn’t report it because of his record. Bobby takes a different side telling them that they must go to the police because he doesn’t feel comfortable about the situation and it’s the right thing to do. Dominic doesn’t feel they should touch the body if they decide to get rid of it, but has conflicting feelings about their choices.
Faced with the problem, the three go over their options as they leave the scene with the body in the trunk. It’s a decent mystery thriller that keeps you compelled to watch as it plays out over the 96 minutes. Director and writer Kyle Schadt works his characters into a tizzy as the film moves along at a fair pace and find the three changing sides as they face home life situations. He adds a very good sound track that adds to the urgency, choices, doubt, and mystery as the three friends slowly drift apart.
Considering the fact that two of the leads Joseph Martinez and Jay Habre are first time feature film actors, the cast does a pretty good job. Each has their character under control making them believable as the film changes directions throughout. Sean Nateghi has had some work having 14 credits in his portfolio and it shows as he takes Eagle into a mess that he has to figure out.
Most film scripts are around 120 pages long depending on the genre and other factors. It’s a good length for budding directors and even writers for that matter. In Silent Panic it looked like the script was padded a bit with repetitious content. Some of the scenes looked a bit awkward and others had too much to say. And, when it comes to using children in a film, always use someone who has had adequate experience as viewers are very conscious of them when they are on the screen.
In all, for a first film it’s a good try and the whole idea of deciding to find some way to explain the body in your trunk does make for a cool dilemma. So for that I recommend movie goers have an open mind and just go with it. Nice job with the opening credits and the twist at the end.
Silent Panic has not been rated by the MPAA, but contains language, drug use and some violence. The film opens at the Arena Cinelounge in Los Angeles on July 5th and also debuts on Amazon Instant Video the same day. A digital HD rollout will be available at a future date.
FINAL ANALYSIS: A decent first feature on an indie budget. (2 out of 5 Stars)
Additional Film Information:
Cast: Sean Nateghi, Joseph Martinez, Jay Habre, Constance Brenneman, Juliet Frew, Helene Udy
Directed and written by: Kyle Schadt
Genre: Thriller
MPAA Rating: Not Rated, contains drug use, language
Running Time: 1 hr. 36 min.
Opening Date: July 5, 2019
Distributed by: Indie Rights
Released in: Los Angeles, Amazon Instant Video
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
