Film Review: ‘Knock at the Cabin’ Sees M. Night Shyamalan Mostly Return to Form

To me, it has been a bit since M. Night Shyamalan had made a film that I could fully embrace. It’s probably The Visit, though if I’m being a bit strict, it’s all the back to The Village, when Shyamalan’s new efforts still excited and satisfied me. That’s a long slump, though some have obviously still enjoyed his other works. You can tell he’s getting back to basics though with Knock at the Cabin, stripping down spectacle to lean into an impossible premise. The result is a largely successful effort that highlights what the filmmaker does best.

Knock at the Cabin sees Shyamalan mostly stick to what works. Less reliant on a twist than normal for him, it’s more about seeing whether the narrative goes left or goes right. It almost makes the film seem straightforward, even though there’s a central mystery afoot. By keeping things close to simple, it lets his ability to generate tension really shine through.

While catching grasshoppers outside of her parents’ vacation cabin, young Wen (Kristen Cui) is approached by Leonard (Dave Bautista). The hulking man gently asks to be her friend and spend some time talking with her. She’s suspicious, though he genuinely seems kind. When she spots three other individuals arriving in the woods, she runs home, as Leonard tells her he’ll need to be let into the house. Wen informs her two dads, Andrew (Ben Aldridge) and Eric (Jonathan Groff), who lock the doors. Then, Leonard knocks. Skepticism abounds, but as tragedies begin to unfold, a sense that this may not be some kind of insane cult starts to take hold.

Joined by Sabrina (Nikki Amuka-Bird), Redmond (Rupert Grint), and Adriane (Abby Quinn), Leonard introduces himself to Andrew and Eric, asking to be allowed in to discuss something very important. When he’s denied, the quartet break in and subdue the family. It’s then that Leonard breaks the news, with a heavy heart, that they’re there to prevent the apocalypse. The only way to do so? One of Andrew, Eric, or Wen, has to die. Otherwise, the world will end. If they make the impossible choice, humanity will be saved. If they refuse, time will run out and everyone but them will be doomed.

The core cast commit to the premise and its required intensity.. Dave Bautista is the highlight, though Ben Aldridge and Jonathan Groff are solid. Nikki Amuka-Bird, Rupert Grint, and Abby Quinn have their moments, while Kristen Cui is an effective child performer. Bautista walks away with the film, however, giving incredible pathos to what could have felt like a villainous character. The small cast also includes Saria Chen, Denise Nakano, and more, but Bautista is the one you’ll remember.

Filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan has a premise here that leans into his directorial skill-set. The intensity and stress generated is among the best he’s cultivated in a long time. Now, in adapting the novel The Cabin at the End of the World by re-writing a screenplay by Steve Desmond and Michael Sherman, there’s a deviation from the source material. Interestingly, the changes go in a different direction than you’d expect. Give or take a sightly disappointing ending, Shyamalan is firing on all cylinders.

Knock at the Cabin is close to a return to form for Shyamalan. If it’s not on the level of his very best, it shows that he’s still got it, especially when not leaning too hard into twists or ludicrous narrative choices. This is a tight and tense little thriller, one with some ideas at play. It sounds like classic Shyamalan and, give or take a few missteps, it mostly is.

SCORE: ★★★