Meeting Evil (2012) User Reviews

Weird and Inconclusive Movie

[claudio_carvalho · 4/10 · 25 July 2012]

The real estate agent John (Luke Wilson) is down on his luck: he has been just fired from his job; his home has been sent into foreclosure; and his marriage is going downhill. On his birthday, his wife Joanie (Leslie Bibb) has an argument with him and she takes their children for walking.

Out of the blue, the stranger Richie (Samule L. Jackson) knocks on his front door and asks for help, since his car is not starting. John helps to push the car but hurts his leg, and Richie offers to take him to the hospital. Richie is inconvenient and along their journey, John realizes that the man is a psychopath killer that commits a spree killing everywhere they go. Then, Richie releases John on the road and tells him that he will pay a visit to Joanie and his children.

Meanwhile, the police detectives Frank (Muse Watson) and his partner Latisha Rogers (Tracie Thoms) suspect that John is the serial-killer and they pressure Joanie to tell where John might be. Further, they discover that John and Joanie are cheating each other with a colleague and with a worker respectively.

"Meeting Evil" is a weird and inconclusive movie with non-likable and non-charismatic characters. When Richie appears, there is a scene where he is ready to shot John and sees a blonde girl; then he gives up of his intention. In this moment, I thought that he could be evil and the girl an angel, but I was completely wrong.

The two police detectives are stupid morons with their aggressive attitude and ridiculous conclusion. John is a looser and cheats his wife; Joanie also cheats him with the pool guy. The open conclusion, when the viewer does not know whether Joanie has hired Richie or not, is also stupid since there is no clue along the movie for a deduction. And the film is a typical Hollywoodian production with the usual stereotypical. My vote is four.

Title (Brazil): "Encontro Maligno" ("Malign Encounter")

Now That We've Met, Perhaps You Can Tell Me What You Want

[Chris_Pandolfi · 6/10 · 4 May 2012]

I'm sure that "Meeting Evil" is a lot of things. If only I knew what they were. What I can say is that the film is not boring; you're involved with it from the very first frame to the last. Unfortunately, it's next to impossible to tell what you're involved in, be it a crime drama, a psychological thriller, a biting commentary on American society, a supernatural horror story, a religious fable, or some bizarre combination of all of the above. Adapted from the novel by Thomas Berger, the film seems at odds with itself, trying to send a message while at the same time keeping it at arm's length from the audience. This is surely one of the most frightening and stylish unsolvable puzzles I've come across in quite some time. I'd recommend it, except I don't really know what I'd be recommending.

I can easily describe the sequence of events, but I don't think I can say what it's actually about. A realtor named John Felton (Luke Wilson) has just been fired. The timing could not be worse; his credit card payments are past due, and his picturesque house is in foreclosure. He keeps this from his wife, Joanie (Leslie Bibb), who, along with their son and daughter, unsuccessfully attempts to surprise him with a cake and candles. She leaves with her children, saying that they're going to the park. John pours himself his second glass of scotch. The doorbell rings. John opens the door and finds a man in a neat black suit and fedora standing there. This would be Richie (Samuel L. Jackson). He says his car has stalled and that it needs a push. John offers to help.

As John pushes, Richie sees to it that his car backfires on John's leg. Seemingly apologetic, Richie offers to take John to the hospital. But first, they stop at a gas station. Richie is met at the window by a rude young woman who chews gum like a horse. Richie goes inside the convenience store for a minute, then gets back into the car. Rather than continue to the hospital, he drives John to a local bar, where he's offered a drink. Before entering, John goes across the street to a cell phone store, where the overweight cashier wolfing down on donuts refuses to let him make a local call. John goes back to the bar and runs into his arrogant former boss. Richie suggests that they both teach him a lesson. John thinks it would be better to just let it go. Richie disappears for a minute. Just as John is about to leave, he runs into his former lover, Tammy (Peyton List). Richie returns, claiming to have also paid a visit to the cell phone store.

Richie's car has been towed away, as he parked in a handicapped spot. John becomes the designated driver in Tammy's car, Tammy being just a little too tipsy to drive herself. On the road, John is nearly run over by an insane truck driver, who slams the breaks, gets out, and is ready for a confrontation. Richie, taking control of the situation, gets the behind the wheel and proceeds to ram directly into the truck driver, spattering the windshield and the asphalt with his brains. It's at this point we discover that everyone in the convenience store lies dead in pools of their own blood. John eventually picks up on this. Richie seems to be daring John to do something about it, rather than walk away like he always does. And so begins a killing spree, one that the police soon pick up on. Not surprisingly, John becomes their primary suspect. Meanwhile, a little girl stands in a field with her dog. When the police arrive, she flips them off.

Exactly who is Richie? A serial killer? The Devil incarnate? He seems to know an awful lot about John, despite the fact that personal information was never shared. All we really know about him is that he's evil. He would argue that the world is evil, and that he's killing people who are already dead. Ultimately, he's about as impenetrable as all the characters in this film. The most frustrating is Joanie, who in a split second transitions from doting housewife to confrontational firebrand. When she's being questioned by a police deputy, for example, she unleashes a quiet yet powerful stream of insults. What makes the scene even more mysterious is that she has both her children present, and she covers her son's ears before letting the deputy have it. Her reasoning: She wanted to teach her daughter how to defend herself and have her son remember how a man should speak to a lady.

Accusations of affairs and other indiscretions are introduced into the plot without ever being followed through. And yet we wait in sheer suspense for the inevitable moment when Richie reenters John's life, this time with Joanie present. In terms of physicality, it climaxes pretty much as we expect it to. In terms of theme or resolution, we're left with an entirely new series of questions. What is the message here? That we must stand up for ourselves in a society of rude gluttons? That the people we love may or may not be who we think they are? The more I try and process "Meeting Evil," the bigger my headache gets. I honestly don't know whether to marvel at or be furious with the filmmakers for making something so narratively difficult yet so stylistically absorbing.

-- Chris Pandolfi (www.atatheaternearyou.net)

Meeting Evil lets Jackson do what he does best

[rgblakey · 5/10 · 29 July 2012]

Straight to video movies are always hit and miss, especially when they sport main stream actors. It always leaves you wondering why it didn't get a wider release, especially sporting actors like Samuel L. Jackson and Luke Wilson. Their latest film Meeting Evil came out of nowhere with little to no promotion. Could this be a case of just bad studio promotion or a hidden gem worth the rental?

Meeting Evil follows a depressed man who offers a stranger help with his car, but instead is thrust into a nightmarish murder spree leaving him to question everything he knows. This is one of those films that with any other cast would have just been another decent but forgettable rental. Thanks to the always brilliant Jackson doing what he does best this film steps up quite a bit delivering something a bit more fun. Jackson is better than ever here just unleashing everything that has always made him cool to deliver a truly evil character that you both loath and love all at once. Wilson does a good job with his character having to deliver a wide range of emotional responses as he evolves throughout. At first this film has a somewhat laughable quality to it with the way Jackson's character is dealing with people and you feel sorry for Wilson. As the story moves forward you start feeling more concern for Wilson as you realize the true nature of evil Jackson is delivering. A lot of these films sport some gruesome killing, but here we get more of the aftermath of the evil unleashed creating more of a mystery with the character.

This is one of those rare rentals that are worth the time. There are some holes here and there, but overall is an entertaining film. Jackson and Wilson have great chemistry and deliver to really great characters that butt heads like no other. This is a must see for any fan of Jackson as he pulls out all his inner evil to bring this character and film to life.

http://www.examiner.com/movie-in-dallas/bobby-blakey

Awful

[FilmPulse · 3/10 · 13 May 2012]

There were times during Chris Fisher's Meeting Evil when I wasn't quite sure what kind of movie I was watching. The music, especially near the beginning, seems to indicate that its horror. The cinematography lends itself to art house aspirations, and the plot is a cross between thriller and noir. It became clear after not too long that the reason I could not figure out what I was watching is because the filmmakers didn't know either. And that doesn't help the movie one bit.

Luke Wilson stars as John Felton, a family man who has had the world fall in on him. He's lost his job, he's overdue on all his bills and he comes home to find a foreclosure notice on his front door.

His recent troubles are causing issues at home, with his wife Joanie (Leslie Bibb) expressing obvious frustration at their current financial situation. Everything changes when Richie (Samuel L. Jackson) knocks on John's door, asking for help with his stalled car.

One event leads to another and before John knows it, he's being led by Richie across his county, leaving murdered bodies in his wake.

It's a pretty straight forward setup for a crime thriller, but the film has so many problems that after a while, everything stops being tense and comes across as satirical. Having not read the original novel by Thomas Berger, I cannot comment whether these issues were present in the source material or whether they were introduced in the film. In either case, they don't serve it well.

Jackson seems to know the ridiculousness of the material because his portrayal of Richie is so amazingly campy that it is hard to fault him for it. It's more self-aware than it is bad.

Wilson on the other hand, is as vibrant as dead fish, bringing no sense of desperation to a man that should be desperate about everything that's going on around him.

The script (penned by Fisher himself), is awful, giving both leads, as well as the supporting cast almost nothing worthwhile to say, making the film's message – yes, it has one – totally nonsensical.

Add to that some dangling plot points that are never explained, a ridiculous twist at the end and recurring characters that add nothing to the plot (seriously, was there a time in this movie when that little girl wasn't outside walking her dog?), and what you have is a film that leaves the viewer throwing their hands in the air in frustration.

As a film Meeting Evil is pretty terrible, but as fodder for a Saturday Night movie watching party it might have merit – especially if one decides to use it as the basis for a drinking game.

Daniel FilmPulse.net

Not A Bad Ride

[NozinAroun81 · 7/10 · 23 February 2012]

IMDb have provided a blurb so I'll just give you my opinion. I only review movies if no one else has done one yet.

Meeting Evil could be very vaguely described as "Changing Lanes with more carnage". I'm not sure why this film went straight-to-DVD. It's probably because the plot is a tad all over the place. Sometimes it's hard to understand Luke's actions and Sam's intentions. Some viewers may find this frustrating while others will simply consider it to be part of the fun. On the plus side, it's quite fast paced. You're barely 5 minutes into it before Sam pounds on Luke's front door and the thrills begin. Sam Jackson is quite clearly having a field day as the full-blown psycho who despises people with a lack of common courtesy. Luke plays the hero/victim and his character isn't exactly likable, but hopefully you'll be able to relate to him in some small way. He claims to be a nice guy and he's obviously accustomed to people treating him like a doormat. He's cheating on his wife... but then again she's cheating on him too. By the end of the film I still wasn't sure which one of them cheated first. They might've explained it when I tuned out for several seconds. I'd never heard of Leslie Bibb who portrays the no-nonsense wife and she gave a good performance so she's officially on my radar now.

I originally intended on giving this film 6 stars but when I think about it, I found myself empathising with Luke's character and hoping that either Luke or Leslie would lay their vengeance upon Sam at the climax. On that level it worked for me but if anything, that's just a testament to Sam's performance. If you're in the mood for a thriller and you can't find anything that tickles your fancy, you might as well let Sam Jackson take you for a ride. Let's face it, he RARELY steers us in the wrong direction. It also helps if you consider yourself to be a fan of Luke Wilson. If you hate him, you'll probably find this film to be average at best. I very much doubt it will change your opinion of him as an actor or a human being. Countless actor's could've played that role... but they didn't... he did... and he did a good job.

Exceptional Samuel L. Jackson Tale but Not for the Masses

[RedQueenIMDB · 5/10 · 27 July 2013]

Psycho thriller with classic Sam Jackson at his campy best. All the acting was top notch, but the movie was hard to figure out. I loved that you never really knew where it was going. Neither did the protagonist.

And I really liked the main characters. They were believable and respectable.

The goal of this film wasn't to spell everything out for the viewer, but to take you for a ride. Not knowing what was going on the whole time was engrossing for me. That's what the protagonist was going through. So I identified with him and his decisions throughout.

Really, I don't know why there are so few good reviews on this film. Perhaps one thing to keep in mind is people lie and manipulate. Especially evil psycho people. They also tend to target someone, usually someone they're jealous of, to mess with. If that's never happened to you before, this film is going to mess with your mind!

I was looking for more symbolism in the story and visuals. But the messages were all in the characters' actions, including a great allegorical story in addition to the main story. Plus a nice philosophy at the end. Had a bad day, but the sun will rise again tomorrow.

Enjoyable re-watch. I love that it didn't stress me out with torture or suspense, but has multiple layers of depth. The movie is way better than I'm making it sound. Just roll with it!

Some problems, but an interesting and well-made film

[pfdunn-693-624919 · 7/10 · 2 April 2012]

A pretty decent film with good production values and very good acting all around. Probably it's hard to avoid, but the story does suffer from the Hollywood effect - making every movie look like any another movie, since they all need to be sold somehow. In it's favor, 'Meeting Evil' starts out fairly loyal to its source material, and stays on track most of the way, despite some unneeded upping of the conventional stakes, and a couple extra back story complications. These don't really hurt the film, and it's a fairly exciting experience, up until the contemporary Hollywood twistiness at the end, which, though interesting, blunts the point of the Berger novel (at least as regards the main character). It tries to make its own point about evil in everyday life, and might have succeeded were it not for the logical problem it introduces with the Richie character's motivation. Though it's not in the book, I do think the concluding scene is actually pretty good; or it would be, if the viewer can get past the twist that doesn't really fit.

Update: Forgot I wrote this. Anyway, more time has passed, and a recent viewing has put more distance between any expectations I had from the book. I could see it more as its own experience, and that raises my estimation of the film. Give it a go sometime.

Weird movie.

[dukebrazi · 5/10 · 1 April 2012]

Weird movie - and not in a good way. I really wanted to like this movie, which probably never helps, but the story and character behaviors are so far-fetched it kinda ruined it for me.

I had not read the book, so Sam's character made me wonder about his motives etc which kept me interested to the end.

The acting is solid but the editing seemed a bit off. It felt like a direct-to-DVD on production value for some reason.

Not the worst movie but I can't really recommend it with so many other better movies out there. Keep your expectations low if you're gonna see it.

A good powerful performance from Samuel L. Jackson

[Thrill_KillZ · 7/10 · 31 March 2012]

Firstly I must say that the entire first half of the film kept reminding me of Collateral just with a switch of Tom Cruise to Samuel L. Jackson. Now as far as the film is concerned the plot was very familiar to me, I have seen it before but then again what haven't I saw before. For it's rather simple plot basis you come to expect some pretty good acting throughout, if you are looking for a complex thriller with twists & turns you may not like it, it's all about the acting. Now for the action and basic thrills of the film, they do enough to deliver the viewer a decent portrayal of good guy(Wilson) caught in the web with a very dangerous man named RICHIE (S.L.Jackson). As the film starts Wilson's character named JOHN is literally having THE WORST DAY of his life, his career has gone down the toilet & if that isn't bad enough he comes home to see a foreclosure note on the front door of his beautiful dream home plus he also has two young children to take care of. Then right about when I would be downing a handful of Valium he gets on knock on his door and there stands good old Samuel L. on his door step dressed in a nice suit & hat to boot and his evil presence is felt immediately, plus we know him from his lengthy film career as one real bad son of a @itch. His power and presence is tremendous for every minute.

Sadly, what happened to him earlier is just the starting point of an even worse day for this poor devastated man John. Then with a hard knock on john's door stands Jackson's character Richie arriving at his house complaining of car trouble, asking for a push to pop the clutch because he said it was running on fumes. One thing led to another & before you know it Wilson's character is barreling down the highway with Jackson at the wheel. The events that occur for the rest of the film let's say are pretty interesting to say the very least. Though he doesn't know it yet John is in for the ride of his life. I know that a lot of viewers have seen this plot before, it's been done countless times over the years, but with the right writing and convincing characters you could provide the needed electricity to entertain you for the run time

The acting from Jackson was what made this a good film, I couldn't think of another actor I would want to take his place It's a solid 7/10 partly because the production & cinematography were excellent, I enjoyed the camera work quite a bit. As for the conclusion of the film I was slightly surprised at the end though there was many subtle hints thrown at the audience all throughout the film. I am guessing that this isn't going to have a theater showing, due to the plot & not enough beef for Hollywood to embrace. So many films during 2011 that I thought were amazing went to VOD, I would like to see exactly what criteria they use, whether it's private screenings or what? Anyway again I call this a 7/10

stupid movie, what was Samuel Jackson thinking?

[dmuel · 3/10 · 18 May 2012]

Luke Wilson's character is really down on his luck. Bills past due fill the mailbox; he's lost his job. Then a mysterious stranger shows up at his door who "wants to help". The two at first form a tenuous friendship which turns into a delirious journey through murder and mayhem. Sound good? Actually, I would have given this film a 1 star rating had it not been for Samuel Jackson's performance as a menacing, maniacal character; a sort of stock character for Jackson, but still done well. Otherwise, the movie is a silly, nonsensical trip through misogyny and psychopathy, that seems as aimless as the lead duo's murder-infested road trip. The film hints that it's heading in several different directions, tries to add sub-plots to this no-plot movie, as the viewer tries to guess: Is Jackson the devil? A serial Killer? Freddie Kruger? Nothing pans out and the viewer, if he or she tried to make sense of it, is left befuddled and annoyed at its vacuous ending. Again, what was Samuel Jackson thinking when he made this movie? Probably just thinking about his bank account.

Great move for a Sunday Night

[mork_blasphemy · 8/10 · 30 June 2012]

I just knew that this movie went straight to DVD and I sure can't understand why!!I saw some reviews that were saying that they didn't understand what was going on as being a bad thing,well in this case it wasn't cause it was the purpose of the movie,it was to make you wonder what was going on,and put your imagination to work. The acting was very very good,there were no weak actors ,the plot was brilliant in my opinion and the ending was also very good,leaving space to the watcher to take its own conclusions despite the one given by the story itself!! This movie kept me watching really wanting to know what was gonna happen next and it was extremely entretaining,which is what i look for in movies!! (Don't think bad of the review cause there are a few mistakes in it,English is not my first language)!!

Not a Complete Success but It's Unlike An Other Movie

[Michael_Elliott · 2 May 2012]

Meeting Evil (2012)

*** (out of 4)

John (Luke Wilson) has his life ripped from him when he loses his job, falls behind on all his bills and sees no real reason to live but then he meets a mysterious Richie (Samuel L. Jackson) who asks him for help. Richie soon forces John into a wild and violent killing spree but for reasons that the troubled man can't figure out. MEETING EVIL isn't nearly as smart as it tries to be and in the end it's not a completely successful film but I must admit that I've never quite seen anything like it. The entire film is a very strange one as it contains a story that constantly keeps you off guard, some fine performances and a bizarre atmosphere that just hangs over the entire thing. Writer-director Chris Fisher deserves quite a bit of credit by taking a familiar set-up (good man kidnapped by evil) and doing something rather fresh and original with it. I'm going to avoid any major spoilers but I do think the film comes up somewhat short in whatever message it's trying to get across but there's still enough good stuff here to make it worth viewing. One thing are the two lead performances with both Wilson and Jackson turning in fine work. Wilson does a very believable job playing this loser who constantly lets people push him around. I thought the actor made you care for this character while at the same time hating him for not being more of a man. Jackson often falls into playing himself but that's not the case here as he completely loses himself in this character. Jackson plays the part with a certain edge that actually helps the film and especially in some of the darker comic moments, which there are a few of and he makes them very funny. As you'd expect, there's a twist at the end and in a rare case I think it actually works. What I enjoyed most about MEETING EVIL is that I never really knew where it was going to go next. The entire set-up is a pretty crazy one and it doesn't make sense all of the time but it did keep me interested in what was going on and I was constantly wondering what was going to happen next. The film isn't a complete success but I think it's good entertainment.

Meeting Evil This is the strangest movie I have watched thus far in 2012

[ChasiAi · 7/10 · 3 August 2012]

Meeting Evil This is the strangest movie I have watched thus far in 2012. It allows Your mind to wonder over a number of ideas as to what is really happening over the the first hour of the film. It was like a modern day very  dark fairy tale set in the wake of America's great housing   recession.  It's one of those films I needed to watch again to fully comprehend  the story. Not because it is particularly complex but because I allowed it to lead me to ask a number of questions about the two main characters. Richie as he lifts the veil on  suburban life and the character of John Fleton who wonders through  the landscape of his life asleep though Richie endeavours to wake him up and open his eyes.

Stupid

[karl_consiglio · 1/10 · 8 August 2012]

First of all the concept itself has become a cliché. So unless you going to do something better than what has already been done regarding films that involve an intruder, then scrap the idea. And it was loaded with flaws. The worst part was when John(the victim) had already been questioned by the police, he is concerned about his family, the police send people to guard his house, but come on he never described the bad guy to them?? They don't know what they are looking out for when he gets there, its ridiculous. And when the bad guy gets into the house they actually let him manipulate them psychologically vis a vis some affair John's wife has been having, its really stupid.

What a stupid movie!

[Boba_Fett1138 · 4/10 · 21 August 2012]

A 2012 movie, starring Samuel L. Jackson, that no one has heard of? It should tell you something about the quality of this movie already. It should remain unknown to most people, since this simply isn't being a very good movie at all.

It truly amazed me how incredibly poorly this movie got done. It doesn't have any good storytelling in it and the movie is deprived of any good tension or emotions. This is mostly because everything in this movie comes across as stupid and nothing ever works out as anything convincing.

It's also all really because the movie hardly explains anything. Stuff doesn't make sense and just happens. It doesn't make any sense for the Samuel L. Jackson character to go through so much trouble just to mess with one guy's life. He basically is being like a stalker from hell, without any good motivation or character development. It's something that could work. I mean, just look at "The Hitcher". We don't know where this guy comes from and why he's killing people but it works out. For Samuel L. Jackson's character it really doesn't though. His character seems to be too rational, as opposed to just simply being psychotic and he also seems to get absolutely nothing out of killing and messing with people. No pleasure, nor thrills and the same can be said for those who watch this movie; you'll get very little pleasure and thrills out of it.

Yes, I know, it does try to explain a little toward its ending but the ending has a whole bunch of stupid and unlikely developments, that causes nothing to really work out, at least not in an effective and convincing enough way.

Seriously, all of the developments that transpire in this movie make you go; yeah right! Or; why don't the characters just simple do this or that? It's annoying, next to being stupid as well. It doesn't feel like a clever or well thought out movie at all and what makes things worse is that none of it is getting handled good enough in this movie either. No, Chris Fisher clearly isn't being a very good director, as this movie at times painfully demonstrates.

Besides the Samuel L. Jackson character, all of the other characters are lacking as well in this. Luke Wilson isn't a very good or charismatic and likable enough main 'hero'. I know, he was supposed to be an average guy but there is a big difference between being average or boring. Besides, the movie gives you no real good reason to root for him or his family, which again, is also due to the fact that they make some stupid and terribly unconvincing decisions throughout the movie.

Something that also worked out as something highly annoying for me was the musical score by Ryan Beveridge. There is almost nothing more annoying and distracting than a musical score that totally doesn't suit the movie and what is happening on the screen!

One of the worst thrillers I have seen in a while.

4/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

Typical but watchable

[mutisufi · 6/10 · 30 December 2012]

Watching this movie, you get the impression you've seen it many times before. Overall, the plot is quite familiar with one sap being led around by one madman and no one seems to notice the madman. You'll find yourself repeatedly wanting to smack the protagonist while at the same time laughing at the absurdity of the antagonist. But it is hard to deny Sam Jackson's very (as usual) powerful performance throughout the entire movie and the ending was still interesting enough to justify the time spent on watching the whole thing. Not the greatest movie but certainly enjoyable enough for a mindless distraction, and not too long.

Ridiculous Plot and ridiculous acting make this a clunker

[garman-productions · 2/10 · 19 November 2013]

This movie starts out somewhat interesting with SLJ playing his standard menacing character by rote. But the character played by Luke Wilson makes one mystifying decision after the next, defying logic and common sense. I can never understand why lousy writing such as seen in this movie gets a regular pass by the producers of so many movies. Maybe they don't even actually read the scripts and just are interested in "demographics".

And the two detectives are more than bumbling; they are boring too. In an unintentional comedic bit of casting/writing; the two actors playing Luke Wilson' children, a boy and girl, look nothing like the parents and play deadpan throughout their on screen time. Even if they are supposed to be adopted, one would expect some emotion from them but it rarely shows.

The alleged "twist" at the end is thrown in there along with the rest of the ridiculous inexplicable plot devices. Thus, a noisy nonsensical waste of time all around.

Seriously bad

[jsperraz · 27 July 2018]

Plot is unbelievable to the point of being incomprehensible.Samuel L. Jackson's acting was phone in at best. Luke Wilson appears to be sleep deprived or stoned during much of the movie. Don't waste your time.

Loved it!

[damianphelps · 7/10 · 20 September 2020]

I found this a fun to movie to watch...yes you could argue 'who's going to act like Wilson' but that's not the point. Most movies have a 'as if you would...' element to them and this is not the film to cling to that sentiment.

Jackson is great in this, Wilson moderate at best and the remainder of the cast is good.

As I was watching this it started (second half) to remind me of The Hitcher (orig not crappy remake) and that's a good thing.

Let yourself be taken for a ride.

Oh my dear lord.....

[andyprendy1 · 2/10 · 1 July 2013]

With an intriguing plot description and starring the always watchable Samuel L Jackson, I sat down to watch Meeting Evil with a degree of optimism. Unfortunately this was soon washed away as the film rapidly revealed itself as an oddly toned and faintly ridiculous attempt at a psychological thriller. The not very likable Luke Wilson sleepwalks through his role as a down-on-his luck Real Estate worker with a barely explained but apparently complicated family life. Enter into the mix a scenery-chewing performance from Sam L Jackson who at least seems to enjoy himself which is a damn sight more than I did. Borrowing elements from Changing Lanes and The Hitcher the film flops from scene to scene in what is neither a thriller nor the dark comedy that it could and maybe should have been.

don't pass this filler movie up

[decimatorcortez · 7/10 · 17 December 2020]

One weird *** movie! Worth watching on a rainy night in the middle of the week.

Stunned By How Bad This Is

[rangerthehorse · 1/10 · 15 January 2013]

First, I do not blame the actors here. They clearly struggled gamely with the (very) limited material and tenuous plot with which they had to work.

But, what is with the plot holes here big enough through which to drive a 4x4 pickup truck?

1. If a sinister-looking stranger shows up at your suburban door with an "emergency" then refuses the use of your cell phone to call for help, shouldn't that be a big red flag?

2. If you meet your ex in a bar, should she blithely offer the use of her car to said sinister looking-stranger (you just met minutes before)?

I could continue, but you get where I'm going.

I turned this thankless, pointless tripe off soon after that. What a shame that world-class actors like Luke Wilson and Samuel L. Jackson have been reduced to taking mindless, terribly written roles like these. Bad. Bad. Bad. AWFUL.

Great underrated movie.

[love · 9/10 · 2 April 2012]

I came across this movie recently having no idea it existed and gave it a shot. This is very rare considering I almost always will at least watch a trailer for a movie before investing an hour and a half of my life into it. The bottom line is that I was very pleased with the movie. It's so nice to see the old Samuel L. Jackson back. Luke Wilson is also a fine actor who we don't see in too many roles. There are some twist and turns that make the movie less predictable at times. I definitely think this movie is good for anyone interested in a nice entertaining thriller. This movie also has a high rate of rewatchability.

Brilliant

[lukehodgez · 7/10 · 3 July 2013]

Viewing this film gives me hope for the films that often don't make it to the big screen. It's not your typical rushed together "bill-payer film".

It's clearly put together really well, with Samuel l Jackson playing the omniscient skilled killer "Richie". And Luke Wilson playing the dumbfounded "John" the pair set out on a journey... "I'm the only person that hasn't given up on you, John" every word that comes out of "Richie's" mouth demands respect. A very interesting aspect to this film is that Chris Fisher insures that the statements that Richie says actually can be seen as true in some way.

"Stop trying to figure me out. I got my own ideas."

"I know I can act a little strangely sometimes. Just because I'm a little different doesn't make me a bad guy."

It's quite weird in the fact that i found myself days later actually remembering his quotes, with Samuel l Jacksons raspy voice ringing in my ears.

Although a thriller, i couldn't help but laugh at the brashness and lack of emotion that Richie shows. A example of this is when they are being chased by a husband of a woman that Richie just killed along with several others. The mans truck eventually stops with the car stopping also "let's rip his throat out". It's actually quite comical at times with John acting as the sensible mediator between Richie and the world.

However i do have to say that the scenes without Richie and John failed to stimulate me as much ie. the police investigation.

In conclusion, i don't feel that meeting evil is anything groundbreaking that the industry has never seen before but feel that the acting and chemistry between Samuel l Jackson and Luke Wilson really lifts the film. If you're debating whether to pick this one up in the DVD store, do it, it'll definitely be worth it.

Meh...

[jaime818 · 3/10 · 3 April 2012]

Characters were a little far fetched, although the acting was good (For the most part). Direction and editing seemed very Amateur. Looked,Sounded and felt like a T.V Movie rather than the movie it should have been. I haven't read the book, but I can tell you the book was probably better. If I was an actor in this film and would ask the director and the editor to let me kick them in the shin.Also it didn't help that the story was almost 100% predictable, except for the last weird 30 seconds. It doesn't help that it looks like the movie was shot on my Cannon T1i camera. Does Hollywood use film anymore? I would not really recommend this movie unless you are bored to death and truly have nothing else to do.