Sometimes a man just wants to take his son surfing. But as so often happens, there are obstacles in life. It could be bad weather, rough waves, or in the case of The Surfer a gang of angry, territorial Australians.

The Surfer, which opens in theaters Friday, features Nicolas Cage as a man trying to return to his home in Australia. He is nostalgic. He wants to buy his childhood home. He wants to show his son a good time. He hopes it will bring his family back together. But it turns out to be a nightmare.

It’s a few days before Christmas—which makes it summer in Australia—and our hero (Cage) and his son (Finn Little) arrive at the beach. They grab their boards and prepare to head out into the water. But a gruff local informs them of the rules—“Don’t live here, can’t surf here.” Our hero protests, but the leader, Scally (Julian McMahon), suggests they won’t survive if they push the issue.

Our hero decides to leave—for the time being. His son heads out and he returns, sitting in the parking lot to watch the beach and his perspective house. As he does, the harassment continues and intensifies. That leaves him frustrated, especially as the police and others seem to deny it’s happening.

As things go from bad to worse, even our hero begins questioning what is real. Is he really the victim of a string of torments, or is he slowly losing his mind?

This is an interesting concept, and they picked the ideal man in Cage. In fact, and unhinged Nic Cage is my favorite Nic Cage. And at about the hour mark of the film, it starts to get really unhinged. In fact, it gets to a point where, as an audience, you don’t know what’s going on. And that feels like a good thing.

The last 30 minutes of the film, and the Third Act in particular, take a different turn. Some may feel differently, but it didn’t quite work. It felt like a letdown of sorts from the unhinged plot turns of the first hour of the film.

There are elements to like here. The script from Thomas Martin increases the tension, while director Lorcan Finnegan builds the tension. It’s hot and stifling for the characters, and you feel that come through the screen. All that builds to something that hinges on a twist that will define your feelings about the film.

The twist didn’t work for me, leading to a flat and frustrating finish. The last 20 minutes in particular were sometimes a slog and the ending felt curiously tacked on. Horror films can be a tricky dance and while some of this works well, it doesn’t all come together in the end.

The Surfer opens nationwide on Friday.

Matthew Fox is a graduate of the Radio, Television and Film program at Biola University, and a giant nerd. He spends his free time watching movies, TV, and obsessing about football. He is a member of the FSWA. You can find him @knighthawk7734 on Twitter and as co-host of the Fantasy Football Roundtable Podcast.