Two things piqued my interest to watch this American thriller: Lily Collins, the lead actress in this film, and the chilling suspense in the trailer. I like to go into a film blind and make up my mind about the experience after, whether or not it's satisfying. When I saw the trailer, the tension that emanated from the few scenes displayed were intriguing.
The opening scene in Inheritance (2020), with its fast-paced transitions between the present and past, launches us straight into the film. There's no time to waste—within five minutes, the audience is acquainted with the characters and the plot. Lauren Monroe (played by Lily Collins), a Manhattan district attorney, is at the centre of this gripping story.
She's having an interview with the press on her latest high profile court case while her brother, a politician, stands before a crowd to convince them to re-elect him. At that same moment, their father, a powerful and wealthy man, is having a heart attack. I know, suspenseful and chilling!
Archer Monroe is dead. The family gathers post-funeral for the reading of the will and Lauren is bequeathed the smallest share of the patriarch's estate. It's not surprising as she’s always at loggerheads with her father. The solicitor calls her aside and hands her an envelope personally addressed to her by Archer. Lauren enters her father's private study and opens the envelope. The contents lead her to an old secret.
Lauren is torn between keeping the secret buried like her father did or doing the right thing by digging into the past to solve the mystery. Her life and her family's are at stake. Why did her father leave her this old secret? Will Lauren make the right choice?
Review
The premise of this film is very good and so is the storytelling. Fast-paced and suspenseful, every scene is well placed and connected to each other, making the story flow smoothly. Each scene builds tension and foreboding, particularly in the underground bunker scenes, leaving the audience to anticipate spooky excitement and a gripping end. It didn't turn out that way.
I'm somewhat disappointed that this film falls short of its potential due to the cast's underwhelming performances and ineffective use of their roles. I love Lily Collins in thrillers and recently in the ongoing comedy series, Emily In Paris, she's putting her acting skill to good use. However, I think Inheritance did not really play to her strength.
Her character is a district attorney who exposes and brings down wealthy people in New York. That's no easy task and I'd expect that Lauren Monroe would be a tough, and calculating badass lady. In this film, she appears fragile and unsure of herself even in scenes where she threatens the villain. As it turned out, the villain called her bluff.
Her acting did not match with the character. There are times she fumbled in her role as a district attorney—asking the wrong questions, and occasionally even silly ones, to a man who had been incarcerated in an underground bunker for many years. I asked myself what I would do in her position and came to the conclusion that I'd let the secret stay buried!
I'm happy to also see Chace Crawford and Connie Nielsen in this movie. Again, the director did not put these good actors to effective use. They had less screen times and did nothing interesting. More like decorative faces for the film. What a waste. Simon Pegg on the other hand fully embodied his villainous character. He did most of the work to keep the thriller interesting but his wig was a definite no for me.
Overall, Inheritance is a fine thriller worth watching because of the brilliant plot, suspense and unexpected twist at the end. The actors almost made the film flop but the premise and suspense made up for it. I'll give it 3 stars out of 5.
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Other images are screenshots from the movie
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