Dream House   Starring: Daniel Craig, Rachel Weisz, Naomi Watts and Marton Csokas Warner Home Video RRP: £16.33 1000250805 Certificate: 15 Available 14 April 2012

Current James Bond, Daniel Craig, plays family man Will Atenton, who gives up his high profile big city publishing job to write a book and to move his wife and two young daughters into a new house. Almost immediately he spots a dark figure watching the house, and when he informs the police they seem disinterested. Also, the family discover personal effects belonging to the previous owners. The woman across the street appears to want to help, but she is also very guarded. Will soon discovers that the previous father of the house had shot his wife and children, and could well be at large. At this point Will’s world comes crashing down around him as he discovers that he has links to the tragic past events surrounding the house...

Daniel Craig is one of those actors who plays action heroes and vulnerable family men with equal aplomb. He is given some help here, however, with make-up which makes him look clean-cut when things are going well and haggard and somewhat greasy when he seems to be someone very different from how he starts out. It’s difficult to say too much here without giving the game away, so I’ll reveal just a little by saying that Will is in fact alone, seeing his family at times alive and well in his head, when in actual fact he was the father who killed his family. Or so it’s implied. Two versions of the house were competently built for filming: one in a happy lived-in state, the other as it is years later, run-down, dilapidated and graffiti scrawled. It’s pretty much left ambiguous as to whether he is seeing his family now in his head or whether he is seeing their spirits?

This is an enjoyable film of bitter sweet triumph over adversity. Most of the plot twists take place in the first half of the film, leaving the rest to attempt an explanation as to what really happened. It is at this point that plot holes appear, such as why do the perpetrators leave it so long to catch up with what they attempted in the first place? And, more importantly, I know there is a lack of evidence, but why is Will released from a psychiatric facility when, at least initially, he has no idea what is real? But why let this spoil your enjoyment of an otherwise solid psychological thriller which borders on the supernatural.

There was only one extra feature on my disc: Building the Dream House (5 minutes approx.). Hardly a big selling point, and for this I’ve dropped my rating by a point.

6

Ty Power