The Stepfather

Dylan Walsh, Sela Ward, Penn Badgley, Amber Heard

Directed by Nelson McCormick

Rating: 4 stars

Michael Harding (Penn Badgley) comes home for his senior year from military school to find that his recently divorced mother, Susan Harding (Sela Ward), is engaged after a year of knowing her fiance. David Harris (Dylan Walsh) is a murderer, looking to settle down with a new family after killing his last one. Throughout the movie, Michael is suspicious of David and puts together that something is not right. He tells his latest theories to his girlfriend, Kelly Porter (Amber Heard), who tries to get him to stop obsessing over this. Nobody seems to listen to Michael, though we do see that Susan's friend is suspicious as well. David "eliminates" those who are suspicious and as the ending unfolds, we can only wonder what suitable ending is appropriate.

I would rate this movie four stars. This movie has its suspense moments (well put together) and it's a good thriller. It's perfect for those who enjoy the suspense but hate to be scared because it's not a scary/horror movie. I would recommend this to those who like thrillers such as Secret Window or Disturbia. This movie seemed more along the lines of Disturbia such as one of the leading male characters having suspicion over someone and doing what they can to get to the root of the mystery.

There was some things that could be improved to make this movie better. For example, the ending should be re-written. Sure, we can't always have a "happy ending" but it's also cliché for a movie to end with "the killer mysteriously got away" and we see who his next target is. Another example would be that in the beginning of the movie, you see how the police have an open investigation on David Harris but they don't get any more involved.

Overall if you take this movie as it is, then you'll find it pretty enjoyable. However, this is not the ultimate thriller and suspense film as there have been better ones out there. So if you have nothing better to do on a Friday night or want to have a thriller marathon, I would suggest adding this to your list.