Get Out

Year: 2017
Director: Jordan Peele
Cast: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Bradley Whitford, Catherine Keener, Caleb Landry Jones, Stephen Root, Lil Rel Howery


Plot: A black photographer visits his white girlfriend's family in the countryside. Initially they seem really nice, but in reality they are anything but.


Review: I like it when a film keeps you on edge from the beginning till the credits roll. Get Out did just that, thanks to the genius of Jordan Peele.

Chris is a photographer who's about to meet the family of his white girlfriend Rose. At first, he's concerned that they might dislike him because he's black, but Rose assures him otherwise. At first meet, they welcome him with open arms, but as he and we, the audience discover, from the moment he set foot on their estate, something is terribly wrong about them and the whole place. These people are not friendly, in fact they are the exact opposite, and they won't let him leave.

Peele, known for being one half of the comedy duo Key & Peele, wrote and directed this film superbly. The pacing is perfect, the cinematography is spot on, the dialogue is believable and the music is superb too (loved the opening Swahili number). While Get Out serves a great social message concerning racism, it also delivers a great horror story that would make Hitchcock proud. There is a ton of suspense to be had, with a few well earned jump scares. The entire film feels unnerving, thanks to a combination of the lonely countryside surroundings and weird stares from the people on the estate. To tell you more would ruin the fun, so I will not say too much.

Daniel Kaluuya is great as the protagonist Chris, who finds himself waist deep in something sinister and has to fight his way out. Allison Williams is also good as Rose, while Bradley Whitford and Catherine Keener put in excellent work as her parents, who seem nice on the outside but clearly they're hiding something. Caleb Landry Jones is spot on as Rose's wayward brother Jeremy while Stephen Root impresses in a minor role as a blind art dealer. Lil Rel Howery plays the comic relief as Chris' best friend Rod, and gets the best lines in the film.

My sole gripe here is Peele's move to include a scene where Rod attempts to report Chris' disappearance to the authorities, which is played totally for laughs. It felt jarring for me since the film had been totally serious up to that point. But save for that, Get Out delivers a level of tension that just keeps building and building until its violent finale.

In short, Get Out is without a doubt one of the best films of the year. Recommended. (8.5/10)