The name Noomi Rapace holds a certain gravitas even for me, someone who’s only seen two of her films. For whatever reason, I think of her as an accomplished, top-tier actor. And, she may well be. But the strange thing is this: why do I think that? Sure, she was good in Prometheus, but was she great? It must not have been that much of a standout performance because the only thing I clearly remember her doing in that film is scrambling to get into some sort of automated medical robot machine thing. And she was decent in the only other film of hers that I’ve seen – The Monitor – but not great (for sure this time). And the movie itself wasn’t very noteworthy. Maybe she gives good brand. (ugh. i expected that to sound cleverer, but fuck it) Who knows? The point is, when I saw that she was going to be in the sci-fi horror film, Rupture, I figured it would be good. It must be if it has such a top-tier actor in it, right?
Renee is a divorcee trying her best to keep her head above water. She has money trouble, home repair issues, and she’s trying to help her kid through his awkward adolescence and his math homework. On dad’s weekend, she’s kidnapped and brought to a facility that looks like an abandoned building furnished like a hospital and lit like a darkroom. She’s strapped to a gurney and injected with bright red mystery fluid. Between bouts of unconsciousness, she interacts with the strange folks who run the place and the pitiful voices of the unseen inmates that call out for help. The kidnappers parse information out at a very leisurely pace indeed. After what seems an eternity, Renee only knows that they expect to cause some sort of change to come over her by stressing her out, and that they themselves aren’t exactly human. Will she change? Will she survive? Will she see her kid again?
If the above synopsis seems short, that’s because the premise is short. There are large segments of the film that pass without dialogue (and a lot of that time doesn’t advance the story much/at all). Noomi Rapace doesn’t have very many lines in all. Most of her dialogue consists of pleas, grunts, and repetition. She puts in a solid performance, but it’s hard to tell if that’s only by comparison. Most of the acting is stagey and stilted. For example, Michael Chiklis has a large role in the film and plays his character woodenly. (i had to convince myself that he probably chose to play it that way rather than chalk it up to terrible acting but that might be too kind of me) Peter Stormare is also in the film doing one of the 3 characters he does. (you already know whether you like him or not, i’m sure) So, does Noomi lend credibility to the film via her acting chops? Not especially. The acting isn’t the only problem though. In fact, this film suffers from the same old low budget woes genre fans have endured for decades . Namely, the effects are entry-level CGI, the story and dialogue are muddled and amateurish, and the cutting room floor is woefully clean. This film could have said what it had to say in half the time without losing any of the little intrigue it has to offer.
The Final Cut: Rupture is a low-budget sci-fi horror story with a thin, vague plot and some abysmal acting. It’s too aspirational for its means (CGI, concept, etc.) and too mediocre to be any fun.
No Real Danger 