No Good Deed (2014 film)
No Good Deed | |
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![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Sam Miller |
Written by | Aimée Lagos |
Produced by |
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Starring | |
Cinematography | Michael Barrett |
Edited by | Randy Bricker |
Music by | Paul Haslinger[1] |
Production companies | |
Distributed by | Sony Pictures Releasing[2] |
Release date |
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Running time | 84 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $13.2 million[3] |
Box office | $54.3 million[3] |
No Good Deed is a 2014 American psychological thriller film directed by Sam Miller and written by Aimée Lagos. The film stars Idris Elba, Taraji P. Henson, Leslie Bibb, Kate del Castillo, and Henry Simmons. The film was released on September 12, 2014.
Despite negative critical reception, the film was a box office success and received two Image Award nominations, winning one for Taraji P. Henson's performance.[4]
Plot
[edit]Colin Evans has been sentenced to prison for 15 years for manslaughter in the state of Tennessee. He is eligible for parole after five years, and during his parole hearing, Colin claims he is a changed man and has been rehabilitated; but the parole board denies his release, claiming that he is not trustworthy enough, and is sent back to prison for another five years until the next hearing. On returning to prison, Colin kills the correctional officers transporting him and escapes with the van.
In Atlanta, Terri Granger is a stay-at-home mother. Her best friend Meg suggests a "girls' night" to cheer Terri up after her husband Jeffrey abruptly leaves for a family visit, as she knows Terri's relationship with Jeffrey has been suffering.
Colin stalks his ex-fiancée Alexis and witnesses her meeting another man at an outdoor cafe. Colin follows her home where they argue violently, resulting in him murdering Alexis. Later that day, Colin loses control of his car and crashes into a tree during a storm. Walking down the road, he notices Terri's house. He asks her if he can use her phone for a tow truck. Apprehensive at first, she decides to help him, and eventually invites him inside. Meg later arrives and is shocked by Colin's presence.
When Terri leaves momentarily to comfort her baby, Meg and Colin are left alone; Colin excuses himself for a cigarette break, but Meg follows him. Colin suggests he is having an affair with Terri, but Meg does not believe him. As she begins to call out to Terri, Colin quickly grabs a shovel and bashes Meg in the head with it, killing her.
As Terri returns, Colin tells her that Meg left, but Terri is suspicious, especially when she sees Meg's umbrella on the stand. Alarmed, she rushes to the kitchen to call the police, only to find out that Colin has disconnected all the wires and hidden all her knives. Terri rushes into her daughter Ryan's bedroom to find Colin playing with her. As they exit the bedroom, Terri hits him with a fire extinguisher, making him fall down the stairs; she runs to get her children, but Colin has recovered. He tells her to return the children to their rooms and reveals a gun. In a brief moment where she strikes him unconscious, she manages to flee to her home office and dials 911 for help. Colin recovers and discovers her in the office. She begs him to leave, explaining that the police are coming and that his blood is all over her kitchen (because she managed to cut him earlier). Colin forces her to take the children into her vehicle and drive away with him. While leaving the garage, Terri sees Meg's dead body on the floor.
Colin makes Terri drive to Alexis' house, and introduces Terri to his dead ex-fiancée. The high winds from the storm cause Terri's car alarm to activate; worried that the noise will attract attention, Colin ties her up while he goes to check on the car. Terri answers Alexis' phone as it starts to ring and is surprised to hear Jeffrey, who is calling Alexis to find out why she has not arrived at the hotel for a rendezvous with him. Terri realizes that he was not out of town with his father and has been having an affair with Alexis. She also realizes that her encounter with Colin was not coincidental as he wants revenge on Jeffrey because of his affair with Alexis. Terri tells her husband the truth and has him call 911. She misleads Colin into thinking that she and her children have escaped. When Colin finds her, she attacks him, grabbing his gun and shooting him until he falls out of a window.
The police arrive with Jeffrey; he apologizes to Terri about the affair, but she punches him in the face and leaves him afterward. Sometime later, a much more confident Terri returns to her career and has moved into a new house with her children.
Cast
[edit]- Idris Elba as Colin Evans
- Taraji P. Henson as Terri Granger
- Leslie Bibb as Meg, Terri's friend
- Kate del Castillo as Alexis, Colin's ex-fiancee
- Henry Simmons as Jeffrey Granger, Terri's husband
- Mark Smith as EMT
- Wilbur Fitzgerald as Dr. Ross
- Mirage Moonschein as Ryan Granger, Terri and Jeffrey's daughter
Production
[edit]Filming of No Good Deed began in April 2012 in Atlanta, Georgia.[5]
Release
[edit]No Good Deed was initially set to be released on October 18, 2013. In January 2013, Screen Gems announced the film would be moved to open on January 17, 2014, at the beginning of the MLK Holiday weekend. This date conflicted with another Will Packer-produced film, Ride Along, a Universal Pictures release that stars Ice Cube and Kevin Hart. For this reason, in April 2013, the studio pushed back No Good Deed's release date for a second time to April 25, 2014. Yet again, in early October 2013 (and giving no specific reason), Screen Gems for a third time pushed backed the release date of the film to September 12, 2014.[6][7] Sony Pictures Releasing debuted the first official trailer for the film on June 12, 2014.[8][9] No Good Deed was released on Blu-ray and DVD on January 6, 2015.[10]
Box office
[edit]No Good Deed was released on Friday, September 12, 2014. The film was #1 at the domestic box office over the 3-day weekend, grossing $24,250,283 at 2,175 North American theaters ($11,150 per theater average).[11] The film was producer Will Packer's third #1 film of 2014, following Ride Along and Think Like a Man Too.[12] No Good Deed grossed $54,323,210 worldwide.[3]
Reception
[edit]No Good Deed has received generally negative reviews from critics. Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a rating of 12% based on reviews from 57 critics. The site's consensus reads, "Dull, derivative, and generally uninspired, No Good Deed wastes its stars' talents -- and the audience's time."[13] Metacritic gives the film a weighted average score of 26 out of 100 based on reviews from 17 critics.[14]
The audience for No Good Deed was 60 percent female, 59 percent over the age of 30. Filmgoers gave the movie a "B+" CinemaScore.[11]
Soundtrack
[edit]No Good Deed | |
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Soundtrack album by | |
Released | September 9, 2014 |
Genre | Score |
Label | Madison Gate Records |
Screen Gems and Madison Gate Records released the soundtrack to the film No Good Deed digitally and physically on September 9, 2014.[15] The 15-track album contains the film's original score composed by Paul Haslinger.[16][17]
"No Good Deed offered a great opportunity to re-explore a style of score I had first developed for the film Vacancy; music designed to enhance psychological qualities in the telling of a story, in this case, a rather dark one. My personal preference for this kind of approach is to mix classic film noir elements with music, sound-design elements; sometimes alternating, sometimes superimposing them. The goal ultimately was to connect the headspace of the characters with that of the audience, to make the audience feel the threads of the story as they watch it unfold. Working off great performances by Idris Elba and Taraji P. Henson, this was a unique and rewarding project to be involved with!" - Paul Haslinger.[18]
All music is composed by Paul Haslinger
No. | Title | Music | Length |
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1. | "On This Day" | Paul Haslinger | 2:19 |
2. | "The Parole Hearing" | Paul Haslinger | 1:24 |
3. | "The Accident" | Paul Haslinger | 1:15 |
4. | "Leaving For The Weekend" | Paul Haslinger | 1:14 |
5. | "Watching Alexis" | Paul Haslinger | 0:59 |
6. | "17 Creston Lane" | Paul Haslinger | 1:01 |
7. | "It Is All A Game" | Paul Haslinger | 2:31 |
8. | "At The Door" | Paul Haslinger | 1:21 |
9. | "Please Come Home" | Paul Haslinger | 1:21 |
10. | "We Have To Leave" | Paul Haslinger | 1:54 |
11. | "The Traffic Stop" | Paul Haslinger | 2:49 |
12. | "Why Are You Doing This?" | Paul Haslinger | 1:31 |
13. | "Your Girlfriend Is Dead" | Paul Haslinger | 2:42 |
14. | "Fight For Life" | Paul Haslinger | 1:24 |
15. | "Terri's New Beginnings" | Paul Haslinger | 2:03 |
Total length: | 26:29 |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Paul Haslinger Scoring 'No Good Deed'". Film Music Reporter. October 14, 2013. Archived from the original on February 25, 2023. Retrieved October 14, 2013.
- ^ a b "No Good Deed (2014)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Archived from the original on 25 February 2023. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
- ^ a b c "No Good Deed (2014) - Box Office Mojo". September 12, 2014. Archived from the original on December 13, 2018. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
- ^ https://www.naacpimageawards.net/46th/nominees/ [dead link]
- ^ Blay, Zeba (March 3, 2012). "Idris Elba and Taraji P Henson join 'No Good Deed'". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on January 10, 2015. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
- ^ "Sony/Screen Gems Pushes Release Date For 'No Good Deed' To April 2014". indiewire.com. April 15, 2013. Archived from the original on November 6, 2014. Retrieved May 12, 2013.
- ^ Obenson, Tambay A. (October 10, 2013). "For The 3rd Time, Screen Gems Pushes Back Release Date For 'No Good Deed' - By 5 Months". Indiewire. Archived from the original on November 6, 2014. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
- ^ Anderton, Ethan (13 June 2014). "Idris Elba Invades Tiraji P. Henson's Home in 'No Good Deed' Trailer". firstshowing.net. Archived from the original on 16 June 2014. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
- ^ No Good Deed - Official Trailer - In Theaters September 12th. 12 June 2014. Archived from the original on 25 April 2016. Retrieved 19 May 2016 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Surprise Box Office Hit 'No Good Deed' Coming to Blu-Ray DVD in January". Indiewire. November 4, 2014. Archived from the original on March 28, 2015. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
- ^ a b Subers, Ray (September 14, 2014). "Weekend Report: 'No Good Deed' Succeeds, 'Guardians' Passes $300 Million". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on January 8, 2015. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
- ^ Clark, Trent (September 15, 2014). "Will Packer Scores Third #1 Movie of 2014 With No Good Deed". Hip-Hop Wired. Archived from the original on October 22, 2014. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
- ^ "No Good Deed". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Archived from the original on January 8, 2015. Retrieved December 30, 2014.
- ^ "No Good Deed Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on December 16, 2014. Retrieved December 30, 2014.
- ^ "No Good Deed Soundtrack List". Soundtrack Mania. September 9, 2014. Archived from the original on January 24, 2015. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
- ^ "'No Good Deed' Soundtrack Details". Film Music Reporter. September 8, 2014. Archived from the original on March 22, 2015. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
- ^ "No Good Deed Soundtrack (2014)". Soundtrack.Net. Archived from the original on October 13, 2014. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
- ^ Obenson, Tambay A. (September 9, 2014). "Exclusive: The 'No Good Deed' Soundtrack Is Out Today. Listen to One of Its Tracks". Indiewire. Archived from the original on October 15, 2014. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
External links
[edit]- 2014 films
- 2014 psychological thriller films
- American psychological thriller films
- African-American films
- Films set in Atlanta
- Films about home invasion
- American films about revenge
- Films produced by Will Packer
- Screen Gems films
- Will Packer Productions films
- Films scored by Paul Haslinger
- 2010s English-language films
- Films directed by Sam Miller
- 2010s American films