10 Cloverfield Lane  ★★★

HOW not to spoil 10 Cloverfield Lane?

It’s hard, because your ultimate view of the film definitely depends on the ending.

Most people seem happy or OK with the ending. I’m not one of them; I think it is a lazily executed postscript to an otherwise very good thriller.

If you watch Midnight Special (and everyone should) you’ll see what I mean.

The beginning of 10 Cloverfield Lane, however, is beautifully done. Following a style perfected by Hitchcock in Psycho and oft-imitated by Brian De Palma (e.g. Dressed To Kill), we follow a woman in an apartment and then driving, leaving a relationship.

The entire sequence is done with a quiet score and minimal dialogue up to the moment events turn suddenly bad and the opening titles kick in. I was hooked at this stage.

So now we’re already in spoiler territory. Be warned if you read on.

Our heroine is injured and wakes up in a basement. A man may have her captive, but tells her that an incident has occurred outside and everyone is dead. If she leaves their bunker she will be infected.

Is it true? Is he a psychopath? How does she discover the truth without risking death?

That’s all you need to know. I really enjoyed the premise and tension, significantly enhanced by the performances of Winstead and John Goodman, menacingly playing against type.

Shame about the ending.