No Exit is based on the 2017 novel of the same name by Taylor Adams. For fans of the thriller genre, this 95 minute flick will keep you at the edge of your seat. I appreciated the acting talent and how writers Andrew Barrer and Gabriel Ferrari were able to sustain our attention despite the fact that the story takes place in primarily one location.

A college student named Darby (Havana Rose Liu) becomes stranded at a shelter with 4 others amidst a destructive snowstorm. While pacing the parking lot Darby notices a kidnapped girl is in one of the vehicles. Which one of the adults among her owns this van? Who can she trust? And how can Daby save the girl?

No Exit looks bland but its tense fast-paced narrative among twists and turns are captivatingly thrilling. Because this happens throughout a single night in a snow storm, maany shots are dark and don't have too much appeal. The writing and plausibility of the events can also be knit-picked but the creativity and the pressure you feel for Darby as the stakes intensify all make the story worth watching.

The 3rd act has one of the most gruesome scenes, and I won’t spoil what happens but while most of the film is fairly tame with its violence there’s something that a character does to another character that I certainly did not expect. I would be lying if I told you I didn’t squirm and cringe a bit. You almost think there’s no coming back from this moment but the lead character’s commendable tenacity unhinges through.

One gripe I have with the film is the great lengths Darby’s character is willing to go to in order to save this stranger’s life. Don’t get me wrong; the fact that she does feel responsible for the young girl is what makes her character likable and is why the audience is rooting for her. It just makes me think, “would any average human go through the great pain-staking lengths she goes through to save someone?” We are not given too much back-story to Darby, as the story is more concerned with cutting to the tense dilemmas the characters are going to endure and assumes we will assume the best of our lead. 

No Exit is currently streaming on Hulu.