Two thieving teenage brothers, stealing money to help their sick mom, match wits with a troubled security guard stuck at the bottom of a forgotten well.

We open with Matt giving Joey gear to break into this house where ten thousand dollars is. As Joey gets the money, they are excited and stumble across some security guards who attempt to chase them down, but the guard (Rainn Wilson) falls down this hole. As we begin to see, Joey struggles with leaving David behind in the hold, and Matt is not okay with helping him out. Joey continues to visit David but can’t commit to getting him out of the hole.

Speaking of Matt, When I talked to Fionn about Matt’s role, he said what intrigued him about the role was being able to play something he wouldn’t be in real life. He liked the idea of playing the bad guy, and Matt is just that. When I turned the attention to Jack, he mentioned that he likes getting into the role, no matter what it is.

You can hear more of the interview here:

Although the relationship between the two is highlighted and carries the first half of the film, Alex McAuley takes it to the next level with a twist and makes the film go BOOM. I wasn’t expecting it, and that’s when I realized I was watching a movie on another level.

And without divulging too much, Rainn Wilson was fantastic throughout every act of this film. As each act passes, a different version of David is showcased, and Wilson kills it in this role.

Finally, as the film reaches the final act, it takes this insane twist that makes you go WHAT!!!!!! Alex McAuley’s writing was creative, different, and told a compelling but yet troubling story that was just utterly captivating from start to finish. Holy shit.

The Verdict:

As this was the first 2021 release that I saw, I was utterly blown away by all parties. From Fionn going into this dark role of Matt and being so visceral and ruthless to Jack oozing that sympathy within Joey down to Alex McAuley’s twisted captivating thrill ride, this film sat with me for days.

Alex McAuley’s ‘Don’t Tell a Soul’ is a fantastic thrill ride from start to finish.