Beneath the Leaves

Last updated
Beneath the Leaves
Beneath the Leaves (2019) Film Poster.jpg
Film poster
Directed byAdam Marino
Screenplay by
  • Naman Barsoom
  • Daniel Wallner
Story byAdam Marino
Produced byIvett Havasi
Tommy Kijas
Beau Turpin
Starring
CinematographyChaz Olivier
Edited byEric Strand
Music byAttila Fodor
Production
company
Reel Fire Entertainment
Distributed by Netflix
Release date
  • February 8, 2019 (2019-02-08)(Netflix)
Running time
90 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Beneath the Leaves is a 2019 American thriller film co-written and directed by Adam Marino. The film was released on February 8, 2019, on Netflix.

Contents

Plot

Detective Brian Larson must recapture James Whitley, a psychopath who victimized him and three other boys as children, when Whitley escapes from prison.

Cast

Release

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, Beneath the Leaves has an approval rating of 20% based on five reviews, with an average rating of 4.9/10. [1] Michael Rechtshaffen from the Los Angeles Times disliked the movie, stating: "A committed cast fails to elevate "Beneath the Leaves," an otherwise draggy and derivative thriller about a psychotic killer whose M.O. involves fatally injecting his victims with potassium chloride before harvesting their fingernails." [2] John DeFore writing for The Hollywood Reporter said: "A by-the-book script and stiff direction fail to milk any suspense from this scenario and, in the absence of thrills, the picture's heavy focus on the long-lasting impact of trauma is suffocating. Sorvino and Polaha have no chemistry in their scenes away from the action, and some viewers who have admired the actress' vocal contributions to current harassment/assault debates will cringe at a scene where the lines "You want me to go?" and "Yes" are treated as an invitation to sex. Jones, most often seen under creature makeup, brings a few physical flourishes to his cookie-cutter psycho role, but not nearly enough to make it memorable." [3] Roger Moore from the "Movie Nation" gave the film 1.5 out of 4 stars and wrote that it "keeps us at arm's length and the cast at half-speed, a disappointing combination when your aim was an intricate, raw-nerves thriller with visceral violence, surprises, and characters we connect with enough to root for." [4]

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References

  1. "Beneath the Leaves". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango . Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  2. Rechtshaffen, Michael. "Reviews: The quirky romance of 'The Divorce Party' and 'Pinsky'; Mira Sorvino in 'Beneath the Leaves' and more". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
  3. DeFore, John. "'Beneath the Leaves': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
  4. Moore, Roger. "Movie Review: The answers to a murder mystery lie "Beneath the Leaves"". Movie Nation. Retrieved 7 December 2019.