Someone in r/Horror said that they were impressed with the Tubi original film, Lowlifes. I didn’t think much of it at the time. I hadn’t really considered watching a Tubi original before this month while looking for my 19th movie to watch for the Watch 31 New-to-You Horror Films in October or Your Wife and Friends Will Lose All Respect For You EventTM. So, when I saw the film come up while scrolling my options, I thought, “What the hell? If a Reddit stranger liked it, it must be ok, right?” As you can already tell, this is going to be one of those intros where I didn’t really know what I was in for and didn’t really have high expectations or any sense of excitement. That’s just the type of sacrifice I’ll make to watch and report on horror for you all. (the 4 people who might see this) Let’s get into it, shall we?
[in an effort to avoid spoilers that happen early and change the course of the story, i’m going to write an extremely brief synopsis] A family on a road trip in their RV are visited by two local hicks looking for their cousin. They are crass and intimidating, but they push on fairly quickly without incident. The family decides that’s their cue to head back into town. They soon find that the yokels have blocked their way with their truck claiming engine trouble. The family agrees to drive one of them home while the other waits with the truck. This one act sets them and the provincial locals on a path to violence and murder.
Lowlifes has a few things going for it. There is a fair bit of humor that might elicit a chuckle or two. The kills are brutal. And the family dynamic is familiar and realistic to a point. The actors put in passable work or chew scenery in a fun way. Unfortunately, that’s it. The filmmakers fumbled their subversion of our expectations by revealing a twist too early in the runtime. And then again by not really leveraging it to great effect. (sorry for being vague. just trying to keep this write-up spoiler free!) And the film arguably fails to meet expectations that would have made for a more enjoyable overall experience for the viewer. I’m specifically referring to the climax of the film here. It just didn’t sit right with me. And you would think the missteps would end there, but they don’t. A character makes an illogical decision in an epilogue-type beat that then cuts to credits that left me rolling my eyes.
The Final Cut: Lowlifes fails to captivate with its poorly timed twist, unsatisfying climax, and weak character logic. It offers just enough entertainment value to be a decent choice for those looking for something to have on in the background while scrolling social media or whatever.
No Real Danger 