Penthouse North

Last updated

Penthouse North
Penthouse North spanish poster.png
Spanish theatrical release poster
Directed by Joseph Ruben
Written by David Loughery
Produced by
  • Joseph Ruben
  • David Loughery
  • Michael Baker
  • Robert Menzies
  • Jeff Sackman
Starring
CinematographyChris Seager
Edited byAndrew Mondshein
Music by Mark Mancina
Production
companies
  • Demarest Films
  • TAJJ Media
  • Bunk 11 Pictures
  • Kilburn Media
  • Lionsgate
Distributed by
Release dates
  • October 2013 (2013-10)(Ottawa) [2]
  • January 4, 2014 (2014-01-04)
Running time
86 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Penthouse North (also known as Blindsided) is a 2013 American thriller film directed by Joseph Ruben, starring Michael Keaton and Michelle Monaghan. [3] [4]

Contents

Plot

Sara Taylor is a photojournalist stationed in Afghanistan. She enters a building, in which she espies a woman crying for help. She raises her camera to take a photo of the woman before realizing that the baby the woman is carrying is actually a bomb. The bomb explodes, leaving Sara permanently blind.

Sara returns to America, where her live-in boyfriend, Ryan, is desperate to marry her. Sara is planning a party and goes out to buy some supplies when she is knocked over by a cyclist. When she gets home Ryan appears to have stepped out - Sara is unable to see his murdered body. When she takes a shower, Ryan's killer is revealed to still be in the house, using his blade to push a towel in Sara's direction when she cannot find one.

Sara discovers Ryan's body when she slips in his blood. The killer makes himself known and ties Sara to her bed, asking for "the diamond" which Ryan stole from him. Sara is shocked by the revelation that Ryan is not the man he made himself out to be. She offers the killer, now known as Chad, the diamond, but then knocks him out and escapes the apartment. She hides in her building's basement where her friend Antonio hears her calls for help. He tries to save her but Chad slits his throat. Sara escapes to the street when she trips into the arms of Robert Hollander, who promises to keep her safe.

They retreat to her building and it is revealed that Chad knows Hollander and they are working together to find the diamonds. They find a case of hundreds of thousands of dollars hidden behind a canvassed photo that Sara took. Having confirmed that Ryan was a crook, Hollander and Chad renew their efforts, certain that the diamonds are hidden somewhere in the penthouse. Hollander throws Sara's cat over the balcony in a fit of spite before locking Sara up again. She tries to reason with Chad, then turns her attentions to Hollander, desperate to end the torment.

Blake, Sara's sister, comes over with her husband, Danny, for the party Sara was preparing for earlier. Sara gets them to leave with a story that she and Ryan are fighting, and coincidentally Blake, who is heavily pregnant, starts having contractions. Hollander sends Chad to fix him a drink while he takes Sara out to the balcony. Chad discovers the diamonds hidden within the ice cubes and hides them away before offering Hollander his drink. Chad attempts to kill Hollander but is shot by Hollander. With Hollander's attention on Chad, Sara stabs Hollander in the back with a garden shear. As Hollander grapples with Sara, Chad revives and attacks Hollander, who grabs Chad's blade and stabs him to death. Hollander searches for Sara, who has found Hollander's gun. She tries shooting him using her sense of sound, but New Year's Eve fireworks dull her senses, giving her a flashback to the moment she lost her sight in Afghanistan.

Sara manages to shoot Hollander in the arm. With the gun pointed directly at him she starts throwing the diamonds over the balcony, threatening to throw all of them away. When Hollander reacts, she is able to hear him and shoots him in the chest before pushing him off the balcony to his death.

It is revealed that Sara had kept the diamonds in her hand. She re-freezes them in the ice tray, while her cat is seen walking over Hollander's corpse on the ground below.

Cast

Production

Filming started on December 7, 2011, in Ottawa, Ontario. [5]

Release

Penthouse North was released internationally [6] and premiered in the US on Lifetime. [7]

Reception

Nathan Rabin of The Dissolve called it a "suspense-free thriller of staggering mediocrity" and an example of Keaton's unimpressive work prior to Birdman. [8] Ben Sachs of the Chicago Reader described it as "a terse but nicely shaded crime movie that evokes superior 50s B noirs". Sachs recommended it to fans of Keaton and wrote that it plays to his strengths as an actor: playing quick-thinking characters forced to react to unexpected situations. [9]

Related Research Articles

<i>Enough</i> (film) 2002 thriller film by Michael Apted

Enough is a 2002 American thriller film directed by Michael Apted. The movie is based on the 1998 novel Black and Blue, by Anna Quindlen, which was a New York Times bestseller. It stars Jennifer Lopez as Slim, an abused wife who learns to fight back. Enough was released theatrically in the United States on May 24, 2002. It received generally negative reviews from film critics and grossed nearly $52 million. Since its release, Enough has been subject to critical re-evaluation, especially towards Lopez's performance, with some noting it as an underrated thriller.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blake Lively</span> American actress (born 1987)

Blake Ellender Lively is an American actress. Born in Los Angeles, Lively is the daughter of actor Ernie Lively, and made her professional debut in his directorial project Sandman (1998). She starred as Bridget Vreeland in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005) alongside its sequel The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 (2008) to commercial success. She appeared opposite Justin Long in the comedy Accepted (2006) and gained wide recognition for her portrayal of Serena van der Woodsen in the CW teen drama television series Gossip Girl (2007–2012).

<i>88 Minutes</i> 2007 film

88 Minutes is a 2007 American thriller film directed by Jon Avnet and starring Al Pacino, Alicia Witt, Leelee Sobieski, William Forsythe, Deborah Kara Unger, Amy Brenneman, Neal McDonough and Benjamin McKenzie. In the film, famed forensic psychiatrist Dr. Jack Gramm (Pacino) is one of the most sought-after profilers in the world. His expert testimony resulted in the conviction of serial killer Jon Forster (McDonough). However, on the eve of Forster's execution, one of Gramm's students is murdered in a vicious copycat crime, and Gramm himself receives an ominous message informing him that he has 88 minutes to live. Filming began in the Vancouver area on October 8, 2005, and wrapped up in December 2005. In 2007 the film was released in various European countries.

<i>Wild Things: Diamonds in the Rough</i> American TV series or program

Wild Things: Diamonds in the Rough is a 2005 erotic thriller film directed by Jay Lowi and starring Sandra McCoy, Sarah Laine, Linden Ashby, Dina Meyer and Brad Johnson. It is a sequel to Wild Things 2 (2004) and the third film in the Wild Things series.

<i>Kiss the Girls</i> (novel) Book by James Patterson

Kiss the Girls is a psychological thriller novel by American writer James Patterson, the second to star his recurring main character Alex Cross, an African-American psychologist and policeman. It was first published in 1995, and was adapted into a film of the same name in 1997.

<i>Gone Baby Gone</i> 2007 American film

Gone Baby Gone is a 2007 American neo-noir crime thriller film directed by Ben Affleck in his directorial debut. Affleck co-wrote the screenplay with Aaron Stockard based on the 1998 novel of the same name by Dennis Lehane. The film stars Casey Affleck and Michelle Monaghan as two Boston private investigators hunting for a young girl abducted from her single mother's apartment in Dorchester. The supporting cast includes Morgan Freeman, Ed Harris, and Amy Ryan. It was the final film to be released by The Ladd Company before its closure.

<i>Cop</i> (film) 1988 film by James B. Harris

Cop is a 1988 American neo-noir crime suspense film written and directed by James B. Harris, starring James Woods, Lesley Ann Warren and Charles Durning. It is based on the 1984 book Blood on the Moon, by James Ellroy. Harris and Woods co-produced the film, a first for their careers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dex Dexter</span> Fictional character from Dynasty

Farnsworth "Dex" Dexter is a fictional character on the ABC prime time soap opera Dynasty. Portrayed by Michael Nader, the character was introduced as a love interest for Alexis Colby in the series' fourth season in 1983. He became her third husband, and arguably the second great love of her life, after Blake Carrington. Even after the end of their marriage, Dex remained a strong force in Alexis's life. Dex Dexter remained on the series until its final episode in 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barry Sloane</span> English actor (born 1981)

Barry Sloane is an English actor. He has appeared in numerous television shows, and in the BAFTA Award–winning television films Pleasureland and The Mark of Cain. In 2006, Sloane made his West End debut in Willy Russell's Blood Brothers. In December 2007, he began playing serial killer Niall Rafferty in Channel 4's Hollyoaks, which earned him three award nominations.

"React Quotes" is the fifth episode of the fifth season of the HBO original series The Wire. The episode was written by David Mills from a story by David Simon & David Mills and was directed by Agnieszka Holland. It first aired on February 3, 2008.

Joseph Porter Ruben is an American retired filmmaker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kaniehtiio Horn</span> Canadian actress (b. 1986)

Kaniehtiio Alexandra Jessie Horn, sometimes credited as Tiio Horn, is a Canadian actress. She was nominated for a Gemini Award for her role in the television film Moccasin Flats: Redemption and she has appeared in the films The Trotsky, Leslie, My Name Is Evil, and The Wild Hunt, as well as the streaming television horror series Hemlock Grove and the sitcoms 18 to Life, Letterkenny and Reservation Dogs.

<i>Birdman</i> (film) 2014 film by Alejandro G. Iñárritu

Birdman, stylized as BİRDMAN or , is a 2014 American black comedy-drama film directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu. It was written by Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris Jr., and Armando Bó. The film stars Michael Keaton as Riggan Thomson, a faded Hollywood actor best known for playing the superhero "Birdman", as he struggles to mount a Broadway adaptation of Raymond Carver's short story, "What We Talk About When We Talk About Love". The film's supporting cast includes Zach Galifianakis, Edward Norton, Andrea Riseborough, Amy Ryan, Emma Stone, and Naomi Watts.

<i>The Best of Me</i> (2014 film) 2014 American film

The Best of Me is a 2014 American romantic drama film directed by Michael Hoffman and written by Will Fetters and J. Mills Goodloe, based on Nicholas Sparks' 2011 novel of the same name. The film stars James Marsden and Michelle Monaghan with Luke Bracey and Liana Liberato.

<i>Worth</i> (film) 2020 biographical film

Worth is a 2020 biographical film directed by Sara Colangelo from a screenplay by Max Borenstein and starring Michael Keaton, Amy Ryan, Stanley Tucci, Tate Donovan, Shunori Ramanathan, and Laura Benanti. The film depicts Kenneth Feinberg's handling of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund. The picture had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 24, 2020, and was exhibited in a limited theatrical release and on Netflix beginning September 3, 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bruce Wayne (1989 film series character)</span> 1989 Batman film series character

Bruce Wayne, better known by his vigilante superhero alias Batman, is a fictional character who is featured as the main protagonist in Warner Bros.' initial Batman film series (1989–1997), and later as a supporting character in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) film The Flash (2023). Based on the DC Comics character of the same name, he was portrayed by Michael Keaton in Tim Burton's Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992), before being recast with Val Kilmer and George Clooney in Joel Schumacher's Batman Forever (1995) and Batman & Robin (1997) respectively.

<i>The Protégé</i> 2021 American action film

The Protégé is a 2021 American action thriller film directed by Martin Campbell, written by Richard Wenk, and starring Maggie Q, Michael Keaton, Samuel L. Jackson, Patrick Malahide, David Rintoul, Ori Pfeffer, Ray Fearon, Caroline Loncq, and Robert Patrick. The film is about Anna, who was rescued as a child by the legendary assassin Moody, and is now the world's most skilled contract killer. However, when Moody is brutally killed, she vows revenge for the man who taught her everything she knows. The film was released on August 20, 2021 by Lionsgate. It received mixed reviews from critics and grossed $8 million at the box office.

<i>The Killer</i> (2023 film) American film by David Fincher

The Killer is a 2023 American action thriller film directed by David Fincher from a screenplay by Andrew Kevin Walker. It is based on the French graphic novel series The Killer written by Alexis "Matz" Nolent and illustrated by Luc Jacamon. The film stars Michael Fassbender in the title role, alongside Arliss Howard, Charles Parnell, Kerry O'Malley, Sala Baker, Sophie Charlotte, and Tilda Swinton in supporting roles. It follows the titular assassin as he embarks on an international vendetta after a hit goes wrong.

References

  1. Kay, Jeremy (November 5, 2011). "Penthouse North goes to Dimension for US". Screen International . Retrieved September 16, 2021.
  2. "Film Festival Brings Ottawa to Big Screen". Ottawa Citizen. October 1, 2013. Archived from the original on October 10, 2018.
  3. "Penthouse North". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 1, 2013.
  4. "Penthouse North Summary, Cast and Crew". Starpulse.com. Archived from the original on October 2, 2013. Retrieved October 1, 2013.
  5. Sneider, Jeff (November 8, 2011). "Barry Sloane gets 'Penthouse' view". Variety . Retrieved December 26, 2016.
  6. Jagernauth, Kevin (March 13, 2013). "Watch: Michael Keaton Terrorizes Michelle Monaghan In International Trailer For 'Penthouse North'". IndieWire . Retrieved December 26, 2016.
  7. O'Rourke, Jill (January 5, 2014). "Blindsided Fulfills Lifetime's New Year's Resolution To Show More Movies About Blind Ladies". Crushable . Archived from the original on January 6, 2014. Retrieved December 26, 2016.
  8. Rabin, Nathan (November 7, 2014). "You Might Also Like?: The pre-comeback Michael Keaton thriller Blindsided". The Dissolve . Archived from the original on November 9, 2014. Retrieved December 26, 2016.
  9. Sachs, Ben (June 18, 2015). "Just before he made his comeback with Birdman, Michael Keaton went psycho". Chicago Reader . Retrieved December 26, 2016.