No Exit (2022)

No Exit is a gratifying thriller with a stellar lead performance by Liu. It is a concise and impactful piece of work, even when it stumbles in the third act. It is well worth a watch, especially for fans of the single-location thriller subgenre.

The filmmaking itself is sound. Liu is spellbinding, and her supporting cast of character actors are game for the script’s insanity.

While competently performed — Liu in particular is exceptional, lending a fraught likability to Darby; Haysbert exudes a natural warmth; and Dickey gives a good frayed performance despite a disappointing characterization — and decently directed, it feels like there's something missing from No Exit.

As child kidnapping/trafficking thrillers go — and yes, there have been scores of these — No Exit barely stands out from the pack and overreaches at times. But it puts us in somebody’s snow-caked shoes and dares us to reason or fight our way out of this with her, which is all you can ask.

No Exit is imperfect and struggles to get going, but it's a grisly piece of work that earns your suspension of disbelief.