This movie uses a new approach to celebrate Mother’s Day! This is one suspenseful movie that features a really tough lady—Shaun Russell (Gabrielle Union), who is willing to do anything, including sacrificing herself, for her two children. When four terrorists take over her deceased father’s home in search of his safe and a big bundle of cash, she is left outside while her two kids, Jasmine (Ajiona Alexus) and Glover (Seth Carr), are inside and captured by the thieves. Shaun knows there is no hope if she is captured, so she remains elusive while plotting to get her kids back. The thieves know she knows where her dad’s safe is, and they need this knowledge because her unscrupulous father built his house and wealth with ruthless deals and immoral practices. The bad guys know his recent liquidation means a ton of easy money—if they can find it.
Despite the suspense and thriller aspects, the movie is very humane in several spots, featuring, for instance, a nice scene in which Shaun’s daughter is concerned about her mother coping with the memories of her deceased father as they plan to spend one day at his former home to deal with his estate. “You don’t look out for me, I look out for you,” Shaun tells her daughter. Then, in a nice touch, Jasmine repeats this to her brother later on when he is scared, assuring him she will take care of him.
We learn that Shaun can be tough when she tells her daughter to go bring their stuff in from the car. “Is that a request or an order?” asks Jasmine. “I’m your mother,” says Shaun. “What’s the difference?” Jasmine and Glover will need their tough and protective mother since the leader of the thieves is a no-nonsense kind of guy, and one man in the group is a bit psycho, killing someone that stumbles upon the scene when the person was actually about to leave. Shaun manages to elude their attempts to capture her but communicates with them when she wants to let them know she has not lost control. In fact, she manages to come up with a hostage herself!
The film kept me interested throughout with solid acting and the use of a house which is nearly a mansion. There are a lot of rooms to explore and hide in, and the director does an astute job in keeping the story suspenseful and yet moving forward. The film has strong language and violence, so we can’t award our Dove Seal to the movie. The picture does deliver on the entertainment side beyond question. The bad guys chose the wrong mother to mess with!
